


One Wish

by joliemariella



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-02-10
Updated: 2015-09-23
Packaged: 2018-03-11 11:47:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 38
Words: 244,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3326285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/joliemariella/pseuds/joliemariella
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Lucy's spur of the moment wish is granted by a magical artifact, she and Natsu find their magic unexpectedly switched. It's a problem the likes of which neither of them, nor the guild, know how to undo. An already bad situation turns worse when assassins make an attempt on Lucy's life, leading to the uncovering of a sinister plot that could mean the end of Fiore itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. All I Fear

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new fic everyone! Like I don't have enough other fics to be working on...lol. Just a few notes up front, this will be a NatsuxLucy fic, with some mention of GajeelxLevy and a few other of my favorite couples. Also, more importantly, if you haven't watched the show up through episode 43 of Fairy Tail 2014, then THERE ARE SPOILERS IN THIS STORY. Like, right off the back, too. Don't say I didn't warn you!
> 
> I'll be trying to update this story weekly, but I'm not going to make any promises, as I'm rather notorious for failing to meet creative deadlines, lol.
> 
> This has also been posted by me over on FF.net under the name Kat A. Klysmic

“Ow!”

“Lucy! Are you alright?”

Lucy looked up and met Yukino's distressed gaze from her place on the floor and flashed her a rueful smile as the other young woman rushed over to check on her. 

“Yeah, don't worry about it, I'm fine,” the blonde said, waving off her friend's concern as she pushed herself to her feet, absently rubbing her abused rear. She'd hit the floor harder than she'd like to admit considering she was supposed to be taking fighting lessons from Yukino to help prevent this sort of thing in combat.

Smiling sympathetically as she picked up on her friend's soreness, Yukino suggested “How about we call it a day? Didn't you say you were supposed to meet Natsu and Happy later?”

“Oh shoot, you're right,” Lucy said, looking anxiously around the training room for a clock. Spotting one, she was relieved to note that she still had forty-five minutes before she had promised to meet her friends at the guild. Still, it wasn't really enough time for her to go all the way back to her house to grab a shower and still expect to make it in time.

“Hey, mind if I use the showers in the locker room?” Lucy asked her friend as she turned to her and clapped her hands before her in a show of supplication.

Yukino smiled and nodded “Not at all. I was planning on heading that way myself,” she said before leading the way out of the room they had reserved for their little training session.

The training room was perfect for their needs, one of many that Sabertooth maintained for their members to use. Though the once strength obsessed guild had undergone many changes since the Grand Magic Games months ago, they had chosen to maintain their workout facilities rather than convert them into something else. Honestly, Lucy couldn't help but think that Fairy Tail could benefit from investing in building a few of their own, assuming they could be made durable enough to weather the sort of rowdy, destructive magic her beloved guild was so notorious for. If so, maybe the main hall of the guild (not to mention the furniture) wouldn't have to be repaired so often...

This particular room was smallish, with exercise mats stacked in a pile to one side, shiny hard wood floors, and little else. It was one of the strictly no-magic rooms for training in martial arts, and it was perfectly suited for that, though Lucy certainly wouldn't have minded having some of those mats under her when Yukino's kick had sent her flying, resulting in her hitting the floor square on her tailbone.

The celestial spirit mage grabbed up her bag of things she'd dropped by the door as they exited the room and headed down the hall, trailing after her friend as she lead the way to the showers. She certainly needed one. Their workout had left her over-heated and dripping with sweat, making her glad she had thought to wear just a sports bra and a pair of shorts. At least this way the sweat wasn't as obvious, and would dry more quickly.

“Lucy?”

“Hm?” the blonde said, blinking as she was dragged from her thoughts of how nice a cool shower was going to feel as soon as they hit the locker room. 

“Why did you want to start these lessons?” Yukino asked, slowing her pace just slightly so she could fall into step with her fellow mage, regarding her with curious brown eyes “Don't think that I mind, of course!” she hurried to add, waving a hand to dispel such thoughts before they could even form “It's been a lot of fun, and it's been really nice to have a friend to work out with,”Yukino continued, flushing slightly as she admitted how much she had been enjoying spending more time with her fellow celestial spirit mage “I just would have thought that maybe someone like Natsu, or even Erza, would have been your first choice. They're both so strong...”

The white haired woman's voice was a little wistful, but Lucy just laughed at the very idea of getting lessons in hand-to-hand combat from either of her team mates “Are you kidding me? What, do you think I have a death wish or something?” she asked as they entered the Sabertooth locker room and headed for the showers. 

Yukino gave her a wide-eyed glance of surprise at the statement, pausing in the middle of shimmying out of her shorts “Oh Lucy, they wouldn't really hurt you, would they?” she asked, completely aghast at the thought.

Lucy's outright amusement gentled into a thoughtful smile “No, of course not,” she reassured her friend “Not intentionally, anyways,” she added, wrinkling her nose as potential scenarios played out in her mind's eye “Natsu's a great fighter, you're right, but...well, you've seen him fight,” Lucy said with a chuckle as she shucked her sweaty clothes and got into the nearest shower “Half the time, I swear his entire thought process on the matter is 'maybe if I throw myself at it hard enough, it will die'” she remarked with a snort, tone exaggerated and decidedly silly sounding as she tried to mimic her partner's painfully straight-forward thought process.

In the shower stall next door, she heard a giggle escape Yukino, and Lucy grinned to herself as she turned on the water and rinsed her hair before proceeding to shampoo it.

“Not that he's not totally capable of more technical fighting, of course,” she continued a moment later, wanting to give her friend credit where credit was due “At the end of the day, he really is a genius when it comes to battle magic,” Lucy admitted quietly with a smile, though the tile walls and vaulted ceiling meant that her voice still carried easily. She sighed and admitted “Unfortunately, that's exactly why I can't ask him to teach me, you know? Fighting comes as naturally to him as breathing, I don't think he'd even begin to know how to explain how he does what he does to me. He'd just tell me to 'do the thing!' and expect me to know what the hell he's talking about.”

Lucy couldn't see her friend, but she could hear the smile in her voice as she agreed “You're probably right. Natsu is certainly...straightforward that way.”

The blonde snorted at this massive understatement before continuing “Erza wouldn't really work either, though I'm sure she'd be more than willing to give me lessons, but she's just so...” Lucy searched for the right word.

“Intimidating?” Yukino suggested.

“Definitely, but I guess I'm really leaning more towards demanding,” Lucy said with a chuckle “If I asked her for help improving my fighting skills, she'd get going and just...not stop until she'd run me straight into the ground. Then she'd bandage me up and start the whole torture session over again,” the blonde said with a shudder of horror. As much as she wanted to improve her fighting abilities so she could better protect herself, she wasn't quite willing to go to those lengths to achieve her goal.

“I begin to see why you came to me instead,” Yukino said, amusement clear in her voice as she turned off her shower and stepped out to towel off while Lucy worked on conditioning her hair. It was times like these that she really envied her white haired friend's short haircut. “So, that explains why you didn't chose any of your other friends to help,” the other girl continued “But it doesn't really answer why you're starting now. You've been a member of Fairy Tail for awhile now, but you never felt a need to train yourself like this until recently. What changed?” the other celestial spirit mage asked, tone quizzical. 

Lucy was quiet for a long minute as she stood under the shower head, letting the water drum against her scalp and cascade down her body. They'd been training like this several times a week now for over a month and a half, and her body was more toned than ever, but thoughts of the events that had driven her to seek Yukino's help in the first place successfully dampened any pleasure she felt at the change in this moment.

“Lucy?” Yukino asked, a hint of worry coloring her voice as her question continued to go unanswered.

“It was-” throat tight, Lucy was forced to clear it before she could speak “It was the fight in the celestial realm that did it,” she admitted quietly as she rinsed the last of the soap from her body and turned off the water. She took a moment to stand there and pretend that she was just wringing out her hair as she wrestled her emotions back under her control. No point in getting all weepy about what was already done, right? Especially considering everything had turned out alright in the end. She and her friends, especially Natsu, had seen to that...

“When you didn't have the spirits to help you fight,” Yukino said, realization dawning on her. Obviously she had been in precisely the same boat, but for once in her life she had been glad of Sabertooth's previously strict requirements. The training they had given her in unarmed combat had meant the difference between her being able to stand her ground against Libra, and winding up a splatter at the bottom of a ravine.

“I had my whip, obviously,” Lucy continued after taking a deep breath and snagging her towel from where she had hung it over the shower door and starting to dry herself off. Keeping her hands busy made it easier to talk “But Virgo had me on the ropes bad once she disarmed me. I couldn't...I couldn't do anything,” she recalled, closing her eyes against the fear, pain, and frustration that the memories stirred within her “I never want to feel that helpless again,” Lucy said grimly as she stepped out of the shower to find a fully clothed Yukino regarding her with a sad, sympathetic gaze.

She hadn't been able to watch Yukino's fight with Libra, but she'd heard from Hisui later that it had been quite impressive, particularly considering the setting. She had seen her fight hand-to-hand during the madness that had unfolded around the Eclipse Gate, though, and Lucy had felt so awed... and vaguely incompetent as she watched the other celestial spirit mage battle unhindered by her lack of keys at the time. Yukino had succeeded in driving home the fact that, just because they didn't wield direct battle magic like her friends, didn't mean that they couldn't still hold their own when robbed of their power or keys.

Lucy knew it was unlikely that they would ever have something as dramatic as their celestial spirits breaking their contracts again, but how many times had she found herself in the role of the helpless damsel in distress just because her keys were taken, or her power blocked? More than she liked to admit, that's how many.

She knew that Natsu and her friends would always come through and rescue her in her time of need; she trusted them one hundred percent in that. Things in the Celestial Spirit Realm, though, had been the last straw. While she trusted her guild family to save her if she needed it, she was utterly sick of needing rescuing. She'd left her life of wealth and privilege to get away from feeling like she had no control over her destiny...this was just the next step.

Lucy would never be as strong as Natsu and Gray, or as good with a weapon as Erza, but that didn't mean that she couldn't be better than she was. Every little bit helped, right?

“Oh Lucy,” Yukino murmured as she hurriedly brushed a stray tear from her cheek and stepped forward to hug her friend.

“Don't you dare start crying, Yuki,” Lucy warned, voice tight and threatening tears of her own as the other woman hugged her tight. The blonde returned the gesture, her worries and insecurities eased in the face of her friend's obvious support.

When Yuki released her and stepped back, she smiled at her friend and said “Don't worry, Lucy, you can do this. We've only been training for a month and a half, and you're already so much stronger!”

“You really think so?” Lucy asked with a weak smile as she adjusted her towel.

“Absolutely. I bet you'd really surprise everyone if you showed them your moves on your mission today,” Yukino said with a smile that bordered on impish.

Lucy just laughed at the very idea, though a small, hopeful piece of her longed to think that maybe her friend was being truthful. Oh to see the look on Natsu's face when she took down a thug without needing her keys, or even her whip! That alone would almost be worth all the trouble. The blonde's smile grew stronger at the mental image and she said “Maybe you're right. That would be something, huh?” as she went to where she had dropped her bag and quickly got dressed, then braided her still damp hair since she wouldn't have time to dry it.

Glancing up at the clock on the wall as she tied off the braid with a hair band, Lucy grimaced “Gah! When did it get so late?!”

Yuki looked as well and said “Oh dear, I'm sorry Lucy. I didn't mean to distract you like that, my curiosity got the better of me,” with an apologetic frown “I'll see you out to make sure you don't get turned around and wind up being late.”

“Thanks, Yuki,” Lucy said with a relieved smile as she grabbed up her bag and followed the other girl out. She'd been coming here regularly for some weeks now, but the halls in this guild were much more labyrinthine than Fairy Tail's open floor plan. Even now she occasionally got turned around if she wasn't paying close attention to where she was going.

They had just made it to the lobby when the front doors swung open and Sting entered with Lector tailing along behind him.

“Well well, what do we have here?” the boisterous dragon slayer called with a grin as he walked towards the pair of them, a smirk playing across his angular features “The fairy spy has returned!”

Lucy rolled her eyes, but stopped to greet the white dragon slayer all the same. As challenging as the comment sounded to someone who wasn't used to it, the exchange had become something of a tradition between the two of them whenever she came to train with Yukino.

“Oh you know me, just stealing all your top secret notes and what not. Got anything new for me that I might have missed when I searched your desk, Master?” Lucy replied jokingly.

Sting feigned a thoughtful expression before saying “Nah, not this week. Sorry, fairy girl.”

“Oh well, maybe next week,” she replied with a mock disappointed sigh as Yuki covered a smile with one hand.

“Hey, Sting, her hair's wet! Maybe she was spying in the pool!” Lector pointed out from down by their feet.

The observation brought a shocked expression to the white dragon's face “What? She wouldn't dare! Would you, fairy girl? That pool is for members only! I know you wish Fairy Tail had a pool and all, but you'll just have to make due with the public one,” Sting said with a smug smirk.

“Will you cut it out with the 'fairy girl' thing already? You know full well what my name is,” Lucy remarked with a good humored snort as she started for the door again “Thanks again, Yuki! I'll see you next time,” she told her friend with a warm smile and a wave. She paused at the entrance, as though a thought had just occurred to her and glanced back over her shoulder as she opened the door “Oh, and Sting?”

“Eh?” the Sabertooth master said with a blink, clearly taken off guard by the almost coy expression on the celestial spirit mage's face.

“Fairy Tail does have a pool, and it's bigger than yours,” she said smugly with a wink at the dragon slayer.

“What?! Get out of my guild, you lying spy! Quit trying to sow dissension in my guild's ranks, dammit!” Sting shouted at her retreating back, shaking a fist at her as she left, leaving her laughter echoing in his ears as the door shut behind her. Beside him, a giggle escaped Yukino, though she tried to hide the fact by clearing her throat.

“Oi! What are you laughing at!”

“Nothing at all, Master,” she replied with a smile.

X~x~X

By some miracle, Lucy managed to make it back to Fairy Tail with five minutes to spare after running half the way. She was more than a little pleased to note that she had been able to run for quite some distance before becoming out of breath, and even then she was still able to push on, thanks to her training with Yuki.

Glancing around the big, open space, the woman didn't spot the familiar shock of pink hair from among the groups of mages, nor could she see Happy flitting about anywhere. While she wasn't late, she was surprised that Natsu wasn't early. Not that he was a particularly punctual guy, but he did tend to spend the vast majority of his time at the guild when he wasn't busy with missions or crashing at her house.

Lucy had almost resolved to get herself a drink while she waited for her friends when she spotted Mirajane approaching the quest board with a stack of new posters to add, and immediately changed direction. She wasn't the only one to spy the S-Class mage posting the new jobs that had come in, but luckily she was one of the first to reach the board. Talk about perfect timing!

“Now now, no need to crowd!” Mira chided her fellow guild members with a good-natured laugh as she tacked up the sheets of paper and quickly squeezed her way back out of the crowd, not wanting to get caught up in the press of bodies for longer than she had to.

Lucy's gaze flicked over the new missions, quickly discarding most of them as either not suiting her tastes or Natsu's. Both, in some cases. Being partners was all about teamwork and, in cases such as this, compromise.

She was starting to feel desperate when one poster in particular caught her eye. The word 'treasure' stood out big and bold, and so did the rather hefty reward listed at the top. Unfortunately, Droy seemed to have spotted the same one, and the pair shared a brief staring contest before both lunged. Lucy came out the victor, slightly crumpled quest sheet in hand as she fist-pumped happily.

“Yes! Sorry, better luck next time, Droy,” she told the plant mage with a smile and a wink, making the man groan in defeat.

“That's so mean, Lucy,” he complained, but refrained from arguing, knowing full well that the stubborn woman wasn't likely to give up her prize for his sake, even if he was Levy's teammate. Instead, he turned his attention back to the board in hopes of finding something else interesting for team Shadow Gear to do.

Unable to refrain from smirking a bit, Lucy turned her full attention to the slip of paper in her hand. She took a moment to straighten it out a bit after having crumpled it in her mad grab for victory. Looking at it more closely, now, Lucy realized that it was a job offer from someone looking for applicants that could find a particular treasure hidden in some ruins north of Magnolia. The celestial spirit mage briefly worried that maybe she had fought Droy off of this particular job offer for no reason. As much as she wouldn't mind exploring some ruins for a secret treasure, if there wasn't something to add more of a challenge, Natsu would likely balk, or at the very least complain about how bored he was the whole way through the job.

Lucy bit her lip, her brow furrowed as she scanned through the mission details. Natsu was always willing to just about any job with her if it came down to either of them (generally her) really needing the cash, but it was early enough in the month that she wasn't feeling pressed for rent, so she could afford to be picky for a couple of weeks yet...

Ah! There, her salvation!

At the bottom of the sheet was a small warning that read: 'Inexperienced fighters not encouraged to accept. Though unconfirmed, it is suspected that the treasure is being guarded by an Alphyn, or similar beast.'

“Alphyn?” the blonde murmured aloud, trying to recall if she had ever heard of such a creature before. It certainly didn't ring any bells...

“Alvin? What is it, a bounty job?” a familiar voice asked from directly behind her, making Lucy jump and yelp in surprise.

“Natsu! Will you quit that? I swear, you are seriously going to give me a heart attack one of these days!” she complained and glared ineffectively at her rose haired partner. 

The dragon slayer just grinned and said “Nah, I don't have to worry about that, Lucy. Your heart's too strong to give up that easily,” while Happy snickered from his place on his friend's shoulder.

Lucy rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the job posting, trying to ignore the blush she felt creeping across her cheeks. Natsu had a habit of saying things that, from a boyfriend or someone she had a crush on, would have come off quite romantic. It always caught her off guard, and made her wonder if he was really that oblivious, or...

The celestial spirit mage shook herself mentally. It didn't matter why he said those things, because she, Lucy Heartfilia, was most certainly not romantically interested in Natsu Dragneel. It didn't matter how dedicated to his friends he was, or how strong. It certainly didn't matter to her how genuinely thoughtful her best friend could be, nor did she care about the way he hated to see her cry. The way the hard line of his jaw would loosen, and his dark eyes soften when he tried to reassure her in the face of tragedy and hardship definitely didn't ease her pain and sorrow like nothing else could. Most importantly, though, being wrapped up in his strong arms with her face pressed into the crook of his neck was not the safest, most comfortable place in the world for her.

Nope, not at all.

“So who's this Alvin guy?” Natsu asked, stepping up behind her and resting his chin on her shoulder so he could read the poster without taking it from her.

“What kind of name is Alvin anyways?” Happy chimed in, little wet nose crinkled disdainfully as he climbed up onto Natsu's head so he could also get a better look.

Heart pounding, and pointedly ignoring the warmth of Natsu's presence at her back, Lucy corrected him “I said Alphyn, not Alvin. It seems to be a monster of some sort. Apparently it might be guarding a treasure that some guy wants us to find for him.” The blonde turned her head slightly in an attempt to look at him, her cheek brushing his in the process “Sound like something you're interested in? The reward is pretty good,” she pointed out, offering up the piece of paper so he could get a better look.

“Sound's great,” the dragon slayer said with another vibrant grin. He went to pull away from her, but paused when a familiar scent caught his nose. Leaning in again, he sniffed Lucy curiously.

“Oi, Natsu! What have I told you about the sniffing? It's weird!” Lucy complained, pushing against his chest and stepping away from her friend, a grimace on her pretty face.

“When did you run into Sting?” Natsu asked, blinking curiously, an unreadable expression on his face while Happy looked down at him with a strangely thoughtful look of his own.

“S-Sting?” Lucy asked aloud, flushing slightly. Oh boy, she was busted if she didn't come up with something. She still shied away from the thought of telling her friend that she was getting fighting lessons from Yukino, though, really, she knew it was illogical. No doubt he would fully support her when it came down to it, after all. Somehow, though, she just didn't feel like she could take the teasing that would inevitably come before the support yet “Oh, yeah, I bumped into him when I visited Yukino earlier at Sabertooth,” she said with a casual wave of her hand “He was bragging about their new pool.”

“Oh,” Natsu said, and smiled, clearly accepting her story. Well, it wasn't a lie, so why wouldn't he? She just...left out why she was visiting Yukino. His grin turned wicked, flashing fang as he asked “Did you tell him ours is bigger?” as he rubbed his hands together villainously.

Lucy laughed and led the way over to the bar so she could tell Mirajane they would be accepting the job she had picked out “Well of course. What kind of Fairy Tail mage do you take me for?” she said as she playfully nudged him with her shoulder.

“The best, obviously,” Natsu replied cheerfully, making Lucy flush happily “Well, except for me, of course!” he added after a moment's thought, making the girl roll her eyes and Happy laugh.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there's our first chapter, I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review if you did, as they feed my muse and keep me writing! The adventure will really get going next chapter, I promise!
> 
> Also, didn't really think about it until I was already done, but I wrote the locker room more in an American style than a Japanese style...oh well, haha. Not like they're actually in Japan anyways XD


	2. Mission Start!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well guess what, you lucky ducks? I got enough writing out of the way since I originally posted this fic, that you'll be getting bi-weekly updates for at least the next two weeks! Woo! No guarantees after that though, haha. I'll try to keep writing chapters ahead of time, but you know how life is. 
> 
> Obligatory “Natsu is sick and Lucy comforts him” scene go, lol! I really couldn't help myself XD Every NaLu fic needs at least one of these, right?

**One Wish**  
Chapter 2: Mission Start! 

“Lucy, I think I'm dying.” Natsu moaned from where he lay in a crumpled heap on the floor of the train cabin.

“Again?” the celestial spirit mage mused as she flipped idly through a magazine she had picked up at a news stand before boarding. Now she sat, legs stretched out across the length of the bench of their private cabin, regarding her motion-sick friend from over the top of her copy of Sorcerer Magazine.

“You always say that, Natsu,” Happy pointed out, rubbing one blue cheek in exasperation with the dragon slayer. Natsu's only reply was an incoherent groan of misery, muffled somewhat by the carpet beneath his face.

“He's right, you've never actually followed through on that,” Lucy teased lightly, lowering one foot to the floor and poking her partner in the hip with her boot.

“Maybe some fish would help you feel better. Fish always makes me feel better,” the blue exceed remarked, brightening noticeably at his suggestion.

From his place on the floor, Natsu dry heaved in reply.

“Er, let's not mention food, Happy. Besides, you always make that suggestion, and it never works. Generally he just ends up puking,” the young woman pointed out, wrinkling her nose in distaste as she turned her eyes to where Natsu lay, still groaning and muttering inaudibly to himself. Well, at least he hadn't puked. Yet.

Happy sighed and nodded sadly, unwilling to discuss even the subject of his favorite food if it meant he might have to clean up after his best friend before he was done.

“Oh for goodness sake's, Natsu,” Lucy said with a sigh after a particularly loud groan escaped the rose haired mage “At least come lay here on the seat, who knows how dirty that floor is.” The man either didn't hear her, though, or couldn't quite muster the strength to do as suggested, so the celestial mage finally took pity on her friend and put down her magazine.

Crouching down beside him, Lucy took one of Natsu's limp arms and slung it over her shoulders, then pushed herself to her feet, carrying him with her.

“Geeze, Natsu, just how much do you weigh?” she groaned as she lifted and then angled him to sit on the seat. He sagged against her like a sack of potatoes, though he certainly weighed far more than such. For all he possessed a lean body frame without a spare ounce of fat on it, Lucy would swear her friend weighed even more that Droy at his biggest. All that muscle really added to the poundage, apparently.

Natsu's only answer was a tired whine that made him sound more like a kicked puppy than the fearless dragon slayer he was. As he sagged back against the seat, Lucy had to make a grab for his shoulder so he didn't topple over and wind up on the floor again. With a put-upon sigh, the blonde seated herself at the far edge of the padded bench, and then carefully guided Natsu's slumped form into a controlled sideways slide until his head landed in her lap.

“Better?” she asked after rearranging him so that he lay on his back and appeared relatively comfortable. Lucy received no answer for her troubles, making her roll her eyes in exasperation “Behold, the mighty Salamander, down for the count after five minutes on a train,” she muttered to herself, unable to help her amusement as she ruffled her friend's pink hair affectionately. It wasn't an action she could get away with most days, but considering he could barely open his eyes, let alone swat her hand, Lucy decided to take advantage of the opportunity. His head was in her lap, after all. She'd just call it rent for the personal space he was taking up.

Smirking to herself, Lucy ran her fingers through Natsu's surprisingly soft, wild hair. As she teased his scalp lightly with her finger-tips, the mage wondered what kind of shampoo her friend used to make his hair so silky. Did Natsu even use shampoo? For all his hair stuck up in all directions, it was deceptively soft.

The celestial mage cast a glance across at Happy, considering asking the exceed if he knew, only to notice that he had curled up for a nap. Not wanting to disturb him, Lucy turned her attention back to Natsu and raised her fingers to her nose and sniffed experimentally to see if she might recognize the scent.

Whatever it was he used, it smelled pleasantly of rosemary and other herbs that she couldn't quite place with her less sensitive nose. Bay leaves, maybe? Well, whatever it was, it certainly smelled nice. Was this what he always smelled like? How had she never noticed before? Granted, she always gave him crap for sniffing her, so she supposed it wasn't really surprising that she had never taken a moment to notice what he smelled like. It wasn't as though he wore cologne or anything obvious after all.

Lucy hummed thoughtfully to herself as she let her eyes trail across Natsu's face. His sun-kissed skin always turned so frighteningly pale when he got motion-sick. The blonde flinched sympathetically when the train car lurched unexpectedly, startling a groan out of Natsu and making him tighten his arms compulsively around his middle.

The gesture brought back memories of herself when she was young and ill with the flu. She'd been vomiting all evening, and her poor mother had been so exhausted, staying up through the night to keep an eye on her. The only thing that had kept Lucy from crying the whole night away was the way her mother gently rubbed her stomach, keeping the worst of the nausea at bay.

After a moment's indecisiveness, Lucy reached out one hand and lay it gently on Natsu's stomach. He flinched at the touch and his eyes half-opened groggily as he muttered “What are-” then fought his nausea for a moment before continuing “-you doing?”

“Just be quiet and lay still. We'll be there in a few hours,” Lucy said firmly, frowning at him to hide her own embarrassment as she started to move her hand in slow, rhythmic, clock-wise circles over the flat of his stomach. Silently she thanked her lucky stars that Natsu had started wearing a closed-front coat lately, rather than his old vest that left his stomach exposed. There was no way she could have worked up the nerve to do this if she'd had to make contact with bare skin.

Talk about distracting.

Surprised that her friend hadn't made any further complaints, Lucy glanced down at him, and blinked in amazement when a small snore escaped him. The tension in his lean frame had faded, and though still pale, his complexion had regained a little of it's color.

“Lucy!”

The mage squeaked in surprise, yanking her hand away from Natsu's stomach like she'd been caught with her hand in the cookie jar. Looking down, she saw Happy standing at her feet, frowning up at her disapprovingly, little arms crossed and tail twitching as he stared.

“I-er...I was just-” Lucy fumbled for words that would excuse her actions to the little exceed, only to be further startled when her wrist was unexpectedly grabbed mid-gesture by the man in her lap, his palm warm and calloused against her skin.

Eyes still closed, Natsu murmured something inaudible as he dragged her hand back to his stomach, clearly implying that he wanted her to continue, whatever his blue friend might have to say on the matter.

“Lucyyyyy!” The exceed's voice had gone from annoyed, to a pathetic whine as the blonde was forced to go along with things and continue her ministrations to Natsu's stomach, though she was blushing furiously thanks to him.

Happy's complaint on the matter, though, caught her off guard.

“It's not fair if only Natsu get's belly rubs! I want a bell rub too!”

“Eh?!” the girl said, blush disappearing in the face of her surprise “What? But I...”

Happy pouted up at her, eyes going large and teary in a way that he positively knew no one could possibly resist.

The celestial spirit mage released a long, put upon sigh before patting the seat to her left, where a small spot was left open between her and the wall of the train “Oh all right then, you big baby. Hop up.”

“Yay!” Happy cheered, all sign of tears and pouting gone as he scrabbled up onto the seat beside her and made himself comfortable. As soon as Lucy started rubbing his belly as well, the exceed purred contentedly in a way she had never heard before.

“Carla would never let you live this down if she was here, you know,” Lucy teased her furry friend.

Happy cracked one eye open to look at her “Well Carla's never going to hear about this, now is she?”

“Oh?” Lucy asked with a smile as she arched one eyebrow at him.

“That's right, cuz if she does, then everyone in the guild will hear about how you sniffed Natsu's hair while you thought I wasn't looking, and rubbed his tummy until he fell asleep.”

The blonde's blush returned with a vengeance as she spluttered at the unexpected comeback “I...you!” Finally, she sighed in defeat and said “Oh fine, whatever. What happens on the train, stays on the train, I guess.”

“Aye sir,” the exceed replied cheekily as she went back to rubbing both boy's stomachs.

When the train finally pulled into the station a few hours later, Lucy had long since laid off rubbing Happy's stomach with her left hand once he'd dozed off, but her entire right arm was screaming from over-use. Every time she'd tried to stop rubbing Natsu's stomach, he'd pulled her right back in again. She couldn't be too annoyed with him, though, the happy little sigh he'd made each time she'd started up again was just too...well, cute.

As the train screeched to a halt, though, Lucy was able to heave a sigh of relief and retract her over-used hand, massaging it absently with her left as Happy yawned broadly and asked “Are we there already?”

“Looks like,” Lucy replied with a smile as she stretched her arms above her head, unable to rise and grab her things yet, as Natsu was still passed out on her lap “Natsu, if you drooled on my favorite skirt, I'm making you buy me a new one,” she said as she poked her friend in the forehead in an effort to stir him from his slumber.

The dragon slayer grumbled to himself, swatting lazily at her hand as he rolled over and pressed his face into her stomach “Five more minutes, Happy,” he muttered into the fabric of her shirt.

“O-oi! Who are you calling Happy?” Lucy muttered, flushing furiously as her friend nuzzled against her with a contented sigh. She tugged on his ear this time to get his attention again and said “Hey, if you keep sleeping, the train's going to start up again!”

That got a response at least. Natsu sat bolt upright in a flash, blinking blearily, his pink hair even messier than usual after his nap “What's going on?” he asked, fighting back a yawn as he stood and stretched. He paused mid-motion and dropped his arms and looked around in surprise “Hey, was I sleeping?” the dragon slayer asked, confusion clear in his voice. He had never fallen asleep while traveling before.

“Yeah!” Happy said with a snicker as he jumped off the bench “Lucy-”

“Was also surprised that you fell asleep,” the celestial spirit mage cut in sharply as she narrowed her eyes in warning at the exceed.

“Riiiight. We were both very surprised!” Happy covered quickly, grinning up at his pink haired friend while Lucy grabbed her bag out from under her seat.

“Huh,” Natsu said, scratching his head thoughtfully for a moment before grinning and saying “Hey, maybe I'm becoming immune to trains!”

“Oh, if only,” Lucy opined, at which Happy chuckled and jumped up onto Natsu's shoulder as the slayer grabbed up his pack and disembarked.

 

* * *

 

A little while later, the trio entered the town proper, and found the client's address. As she stepped up and rang the doorbell, Lucy looked around idly, taking in her surroundings. They were in a well-to-do neighborhood, not quite rich, but definitely better off than middle class, judging by all the decorative stonework on the house fronts.

“Man, is he even-” Natsu began to complain just as the door was opened.

“Hello! My name is Lucy, and these are my partners, Natsu, and Happy. We're the mages from Fairy Tail that accepted your job request?” she said to the man who was staring at her from the doorway.

“Oh, good good! Most excellent. Please, do come in,” the man said with a smile as he stepped to one side and opened the door more widely to allow them in.

“Thanks,” the blonde said with a smile as she stepped inside, followed by Natsu and Happy, who both regarded their surroundings with curiosity once they were in the house proper.

“Why don't you leave your things here and we can step into my study to discuss the particulars of the job before you head out?” the client suggested “I'll just go get some tea. The room is right through that door,” he said and pointed at a door down the hall before heading off in the opposite direction.

Natsu blinked and shrugged when Lucy looked at him, so she shucked her bag and placed it neatly off to one side while her friend dropped his where he stood and lead the way towards the study. She rolled her eyes at his barbarism, but followed after him.

Within the study, Lucy settled herself on one of the plush couches next to Happy as Natsu prowled, examining all the peculiar nick-knacks scattered about the place. It certainly was a well furnished room, with plenty of old, interesting looking art and the like. Perhaps the man was an archaeologist of some sort?

“Natsu! Put that down!” she hissed at her partner as she caught him picking up an ancient looking statuette and turning it this way and that to get a better look at it.

“But just look at the boobs on it!” Natsu said with a mischievous grin as he showed it to his partner.

“Really, Natsu? What are you, five? That's probably a fertility idol or something, you idiot,” Lucy said, slapping her forehead with the palm of her hand in frustration with her friend's juvenile antics.

“Your friend is right, you know. That's a pre-Fiore fertility idol used by one of the tribes that used to live in this area centuries ago. It's quite fragile so I'd appreciate it if you would put it back,” their client explained with a rueful smile as he re-entered the room, a tray of tea in hand.

“If you say so,” Natsu said with a snort as he placed the statuette back on the desk from which he'd taken it before he returned to the sofa Lucy was seated on, and flopped gracelessly down next to her.

Lucy subtly jabbed him in the ribs with her elbow as their host poured them each some tea and finally took a seat of his own. Natsu heaved a put-upon sigh and straightened up slightly while Lucy took up her cup of tea and sipped it thoughtfully. Happy did the same, though he added plenty of cream to his first. The dragon slayer watched them both curiously for a moment before taking up the delicate looking piece of china and sniffing at the liquid within. It smelled...interesting, but not like something he'd want to drink.

As Natsu proceeded to dump half of the creamer and most of the sugar into his cup, their host introduced himself “My name is Johnathan Hawkes, and may I just say that I am very glad someone has finally agreed to take up my request again,” the man said with a pleasant smile.

Johnathan was a tall man, well over six foot, though slightly overweight. He was well dressed in a suit and tie, though his dark, curly hair seemed to be in a permanent state of disarray, contrasting with his otherwise well put together appearance. He possessed a soft jaw line, and maintained a close-cropped beard to help hide this fact. Expressive green eyes and a slightly up-turned nose gave him a kindly appearance that made Lucy answer his smile with one of her own without even thinking about it.

“What do you mean 'again'? I've never seen your request in the guild before,” Natsu asked before taking an experimental sip of his much diluted tea. Apparently it still wasn't to his taste, though, as the slayer coughed and immediately put his cup back on his tray with a grimace.

Lucy managed to ignore her partner's antics with his beverage in favor of noting what it was he had said. Now that she thought about it, Johnathan's choice of words was odd.

Their client gave them an abashed smile “Yes, I'm afraid that Fairy Tail is not the first guild I've approached in the hopes of having this quest completed. I went with a few of the more local guilds first, you see,” he explained “You don't mind, do you?” he asked, worried that he might have offended the mages by not making their guild his first choice.

“Oh no, not at all,” Lucy hurried to reassure him. Honestly, with how much money he was offering, she could care less if they were his first, or his last pick of guild to get the job done “But what happened to make the other guild's fail?”

The man grimaced and replied “Well, the first few groups weren't even able to find the center point of the ruins. They're quite labyrinthine, you see.”

“And the others?” Natsu asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he regarded their client with a slight frown that made Lucy wonder if he was concerned for the mages that had come before them, or annoyed at the fact that Fairy Tail hadn't been John's first choice of guild.

“Er, the monster chased them off, I'm afraid.”

“So what kind of monster is an Alvin, anyways?” Happy asked as he cradled his teacup in his paws.

“Er, he means the Alphyn. You mentioned it on your poster, but I've never heard of one before,” Lucy clarified.

“Well, I've not yet confirmed that that is indeed what is lurking in the ruins, but from all my research, and what I've heard back from the other mages I hired, it seems to be the most likely. Very little is known about these creatures, but they supposedly possesses the features of a wolf with a thick mane and a long, lion-like tail. The forelegs are similar to that of an eagle, or a dragon from most reports, though others say they are cloven like a goat's,” the man explained with a helpless shrug as he set aside his cup of tea.

“Regardless of what it looks like, it attacks quite fiercely, and drove off everyone else I've hired so quickly that they barely got a look at the thing before turning tail and running.”

Natsu smirked then, and smacked his chest with one fist as he said “Heh, no worries there. Fairy Tail never runs from a fight!” before lunging to his feet and declaring “Now I'm really fired up! Don't worry, we'll find your treasure and take out this monster, just you watch!”

“Oi, Natsu...” Lucy objected half-heartedly, knowing there was no point in trying to explain the potential dangers of going up against a monster that no one seemed to know much about.

“Here we go again,” Happy said with a chuckle as he finished off his tea and put his cup back on the tray.

“So, what's this treasure look like anyways?” Natsu asked just before marching out the door.

“I'm sure you'll know it when you see it,” Johnathan said “but it should be a crystal of some sort, most likely about the size of your fist,” he explained “I expect it will glow, too.”

“What does it do?” Lucy asked curiously. It sounded valuable enough on its own if it was really that large, but she had a feeling that this quest was about more than just finding a shiny rock.

“My research indicates it has certain magical properties, though, if you don't mind, I'd prefer not to say more than that,” the large man stated as he got to his feet and went to his desk. He opened a drawer and withdrew a sheet of parchment, which he spread out so they could all see.

“This is a map of the ruins that I've compiled after gathering all the information I could from past expeditions,” Johnathan explained as the three mages gathered around the desk to take a look. The ruins did indeed appear to be quite extensive, though the entire middle section of the map remained blank “This is a copy, so you can feel free to take it with you,” the man added as he rolled it up and passed it to Lucy, no doubt picking up on the fact that she tended to be the responsible one of the group.

“Well alright then, what are we waiting for?” Natsu said with a cheerful grin, clearly pumped and ready to go after all the talking.

“The ruins are about an hour's walk East of town, though there's no proper path that leads to them,” Johnathan explained as he walked them to the door and watched them gather their bags once more “Take the road out of town and keep an eye out for a little deer track off to the right hand side about a mile down, and follow that to the ruins proper. It won't be easy to spot, but if you pass a big boulder along the main road, then you'll know you've gone too far.”

“Alright, we'll be back soon,” Lucy promised as their client opened the door for her and she stepped out, followed by Natsu and Happy.

“Good luck,” Johnathan told them “Oh, and whether you succeed or not, please do come see me afterwards so I may make notes of your experiences for the sake of the next expedition.”

“Oi, have some faith, would you? We're Fairy Tail!” Natsu said with his usual un-shakeable confidence.

“Aye sir!” Happy chimed in as he fluttered overhead.

“Of course, whatever was I thinking?” John mused with good humor as he raised a hand and waved goodbye before disappearing back inside.

Lucy raised a hand in farewell before turning back to her partners, only to find them gone “Hey, wait up!” she cried as she spotted them running off down the road in the distance “We don't have to run there for goodness sake!” she complained loudly as she broke into a run herself to catch them up.

 

* * *

 

It took awhile, but Lucy did indeed eventually catch up to Natsu and Happy, though not until they'd reached the edge of town. Excited as the dragon slayer had been to prove their guild's reputation, he'd accidentally left the celestial spirit mage in the dust.

“Are you trying to kill me before we even start the mission?” Lucy complained as she came to a breathless stop before her friends.

“Sorry, Lucy, guess I got kinda excited,” Natsu apologized with a boyish smile as he folded his arms behind his head and started off down the road at a walk.

“Still, Lucy, you caught up pretty quick!” Happy noted, almost sounding impressed.

“Uh, yeah, guess you're right,” the blonde said self consciously “Must be from having to chase you guys around all day, every day,” she teased in hopes of distracting either boy from asking more questions.

“Oh don't complain, you know you love it,” Natsu joked back.

Lucy laughed and admitted “I guess I must, considering how long I've been at it and haven't quit yet.”

The dragon slayer's smile faded somewhat at her words, though she didn't notice until he spoke up a moment later “Hey Lucy?”

“Yeah?” she replied, looking up from her examination of the increasingly rural scenery to meet his curiously intense gaze.

“You wouldn't ever actually quit, would you?” he asked after a moment's hesitation.

“What?” the blonde asked, caught completely off guard by the question. Talk about coming out of the blue! “No, of course not! Are you kidding me? You guys and the guild...you're my family. I could never leave that behind, no matter how much running I have to do to keep up with you,” she reassured him with a smile, wondering where the question had come from all of the sudden.

Natsu's solemn, charcoal eyes regarded her for a moment longer, seeming to search her face for something. Whatever he had been looking for, he must have found it, as his face broke into a cheerful grin a second later and he remarked “Oh good, because I was really hoping to get this mission done before dark!”

The dragon slayer broke into a run again, leaving an exasperated, and vaguely unsettled Lucy in his wake.

“Oh come ON! I did not mean it that way, dammit!” she shouted after them as she hurried after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I lied, the real adventurey bit didn't get started this chapter, haha. Next time for sure! The sick Natsu scene was not a planned one, but it just sorta...came out. My muse has a bad habit of springing surprise scenes on me...  
> I hope you enjoyed! If so, please leave a review! They feed my muse and keep me writing! Without them my inspiration has a bad habit of drying up...


	3. When the Light Goes Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, we finally made it to the action chapter! X'D Thanks for your patience guys, and enjoy! If you do, please do leave a review to help feed my muse!

In the end, Natsu's rush to get where they were going resulted in them having to double back to find the deer track that Johnathan had mentioned. When Lucy caught up to them at the big boulder, she insisted that there would be no more running that day unless they were about to be something's lunch. As it was, all the running about had only resulted in wasting more time.

Eventually, though, they had managed to spot the faint trail and followed it to the ruins with minimal problems. They had to double back at one point to pick up the trail again, but between Happy's ability to fly above the trees for a better look at where they were going, and Lucy's spirit, Pyxis, they were able to find it an hour before sundown.

Together, the trio stood on a hill overlooking the vast complex of crumbling buildings as the sun cast it's golden rays across them dramatically. It certainly gave the ruins a more ominous appearance.

“What do you say, should we camp out and start exploring in the morning? It's almost dark,” Lucy suggested.

“Nah, we might as well start now,” Natsu countered with a firm nod “It's going to be dark in those buildings anyways, right? So why's it matter if it's night or day?” he said with an untroubled smile down at her.

He sort of had a point, but knowledge of the fact that there was most certainly a monster lurking within the depths of the ruins screamed a counter argument in her mind. Natsu's shoulder gently bumping her own snapped her out of her dark thoughts, though, and she glanced up to meet his eyes.

“Hey, don't worry, Lucy. Dragon slayer, remember?” he teased her, fire blazing to life around one of his raised hands “It's only dark if I want it to be,” Natsu added, just a trifle smugly.

Unable to help smiling at her friend's reassurance, she nodded and said “Alright, fine. No rushing about though, alright? If this map is going to be any help at all we're going to have to actually pay attention to where we're going.”

Rummaging briefly in her bag, the celestial spirit mage brought out the map Johnathan had given them. She was about to open it when Natsu grabbed one of her hands firmly in his own and lead the way down the hill.

“Hey, wait! I wanna look at the map first!” Lucy objected, dropping the piece of paper in question as she was unceremoniously hauled down the hill by her best friend.

“Don't worry, Lucy, I've got it,” Happy said as he swooped in and snatched the map before it even hit the ground.

“Thanks, Happy,” the blonde said, then focused her attention on watching where she was going so she wouldn't wind up face-planting on her way down the hill. Natsu's hand in hers was warm reassuring once she fell into step with him, the late afternoon sun warming their backs until they descended into the shadow of the hill.

They paused at the entrance to the ruins, all three of them taking in the massive, crumbling columns that surrounded the partially collapsed door.

“Are we sure we don't need to worry about this place falling in on our heads, rather than some monster?” Lucy joked half-heartedly as Happy opened the map to figure out where they were starting from. Natsu glanced down at her and smiled, giving her hand a squeeze before turning his attention to Happy.

“So, you know where we're going?” he asked, impatience coloring his voice.

“Um, I think so...” the exceed replied uncertainly as he turned the map this way and that before giving up and hovering next to Lucy “What do you think, are we here?” he asked, pointing at one of the entrances.

Lucy examined the map for a moment before shaking her head and saying “No, looks like we're at this one since I didn't see a lake coming down the hill,” as she pointed at a different entrance.

“Aye sir!” Happy said brightly as he flipped the map around so it was oriented correctly.

“Can we go now?” Natsu asked with a huff, clearly not impressed with this whole 'map' idea. However, the fact that it seemed to be important to Lucy was enough to make him play along for the sake of her comfort.

“Lead on,” Lucy said with an indulgent smile at her friend, knowing that he was trying to be patient for her and Happy's sake.

Grinning at her, Natsu lead the way forward, though, to her surprise, he maintained his hold on her hand as they ventured into the ruins. Still, as the light all but vanished after their first turn, she was glad of the contact, even after he conjured fire to his free hand so they could see where they were going.

Lucy lost track of how long they wandered through the ruins, but it felt like an eternity before they hit the unexplored region on the map. At that point, she took the map back from Happy, who had been tracing their progress through the turns using a pen she had loaned him, and started adding to the blank areas.

It wasn't long after that that they came to a dead end in the path, which opened up into a vast room that stretched above them for several stories, and continued down for a few more. The stairs and encircling balcony that had obviously once been there had long since crumbled away.

“Damn,” she muttered in annoyance. Now they would have to double back and try to find some stairs, though they hadn't come across any yet. Still, she took advantage of the moment to add the room to the map. For all that it was a crumbled ruin, there was a desolate sort of beauty about the place. Pillars and walls were covered in soft, emerald moss, and the ceiling had caved in at some point, leaving the whole area open to the elements.

“It's kind of pretty, don't you think?” she asked with a faint smile on her face as she finished her drawing. The sun had set, leaving the sky above the room dark and full of stars “Oh look, I can see Capricorn's constellation from here!” she pointed out with a grin. Somehow, seeing the familiar alignment of stars made the ruins just that little bit less creepy.

When she got no answer from Natsu, she turned to look at him, only to note that his attention seemed fixated on something far below them, while her's had been turned heavenward. Craning her neck in an attempt to see what cad caught his eye, it didn't take the celestial mage long to spy the tiny twinkle of light from among the ruins of the collapsed roof below.

“Do you think that's it?” he asked, glancing at her, the flickering light of his fire casting stark, shifting shadows across his features.

“Hmm, might just be some glass,” Happy noted before saying “I'll go check!”

“Happy wait!” Lucy called after the exceed worriedly, but he was already gone, flitting down deep into the ruins until she could no longer see him among the shadows. She glanced up at Natsu, but he didn't seem particularly worried, though he was watching his friend closely as the little cat investigated the source of the light.

“Hey!” Happy called up a moment later “I think this is it! It's a big, shiny crystal, but I can't get to it. A bunch of rocks fell on top of it.”

“Great!” Lucy shouted back, grinning “Why don't you-” her words abruptly cut off into a yelp when Natsu unexpectedly looped one arm around her shoulders, and slipped the other behind her knees.

“Be there in a second, Happy,” Natsu called down as he lifted Lucy easily into his arms, his fire snuffed out to avoid burning her.

“N-Natsu! Don't you dare!” the celestial spirit mage objected, but too late. With a grin, the dragon slayer leaped from the ledge and dropped into the inky depths, startling a terrified gasp from Lucy, who reflexively threw her arms around his neck and clung to him like a lifeline as they were engulfed in darkness.

“You're alright,” Natsu's amused voice murmured in the her ear as they plummeted for what seemed like an age. There was only the sensation of wind, and the stars far above to mark their passing.

The dragon slayer landed in a crouch, cradling her to soften the impact, though Lucy still felt as though the breath were jarred out of her. Maybe it was simply the fall that had left her breathless, though, not the landing.

Either way, when her friend gently put her on her feet and said “See, safe and sound,” she punched him as hard as she could in the arm. She could just hear the grin in his voice.

“Natsu Dragneel, don't you dare do that ever again, do you hear me!” she hissed quietly at him, taking deep breaths to regain her control. Though it was quiet here, something about the heavy weight of the night made the mage reluctant to raise her voice, even if she was furious.

“What, you wanted to waste time stair hunting?” Natsu hissed back, also instinctively picking up on the need for quiet.

“Happy could have taken us one at a time! What if you had miscalculated and broken your ankle?” Lucy demanded under her breath. Her eyes having adjusted somewhat, the blonde could just barely make out her friend's silhouette in the darkness. He stood there, arms crossed over his chest, head slightly tilted to one side as he regarded her. Lucy got the distinct impression that he could see her better than she could him.

He didn't get a chance to retort, though, as Happy called “Are you guys just going to argue, or are you going to come help me so we can leave?” in a small voice “This place is creepy...” he added more to himself than his partners. Lucy definitely shared the sentiment, though.

“Come on, we can talk about personal space later,” she huffed as she turned and made her way towards the soft, glittering light that filtered between the cracks of a huge pile of rubble. Much to her embarrassment, though, she tripped over something in the dark not two seconds later, and had it not been for Natsu grabbing her arm, she would have wound up on the floor.

“Personal space?” Natsu mocked, a smirk on his face as he lit a fire in one hand again, illuminating the blush that had bloomed across Lucy's features.

“Alright, alright, no need to rub it in,” she grumbled and slipped her hand into his once more as they made their way over to where she could see Happy hovering next to the pile of rubble.

“It's right under this hunk of column, I think,” Happy said anxiously as he landed on the piece in question. The normally laid back exceed's eyes were darting this way and that, and his fur was standing on end “Just- lets hurry okay?”

“Yeah...anyone else get the feeling we're being watched?” Lucy asked as the fine hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and her skin began to crawl.

Natsu's dark eyes scanned the room, a frown on his formerly smirking face as he nodded his agreement “Alright, let's make this quick. Lucy, I'll lift and you be ready to grab the crystal, okay?”

The celestial spirit mage was distracted enough by the suddenly eerie atmosphere that she simply accepted the dragon slayer's instruction with an obedient nod of her head, rather than arguing. Whatever it took to get out of here faster “Do you need help? I could summon Taurus,” she suggested quietly.

“No, I got it. Happy, keep a look out,” Natsu said as he climbed up the pile of rock and got ready to lift, waiting for Lucy to get into position to grab the treasure “If Alvin shows up, I wanna be ready for him,” he added.

The blonde looked up to correct him, only to see him grinning knowingly at her, so she rolled her eyes instead, a faint smile returning to her face in the wake of his levity “Just lift already,” she grumbled good-naturedly, making him chuckle in response.

Taking a moment to get a good grip on the end of the pillar, Natsu got into a low stance and then lifted, gritting his teeth in the effort. The pillar shifted, and Lucy got ready to dart her hand into the crevice beneath the stone, watching closely as soft beams of light flickered and streamed through the widening crack, hinting at the treasure beneath.

Muscles straining with the effort, Natsu grunted, will-o-the-wisp flames flickering into existence around him, lighting up the darkness like fireflies. The pillar shifted audibly, but still the gap was too narrow for Lucy to squeeze her arm through.

“Just a little more Natsu!” she told him, eyes flickering from the crack to the flames that crawled across her friend's skin, and then back again.

Settling into his stance more firmly, Natsu gave one final effort, his voice filling the vast, empty chamber as an inferno raged to life around him. Lucy raised one arm against the heat, but did not move from her place until the pillar lifted further, and then was heaved away all together. Her eyes squinted shut reflexively as she was unexpectedly blinded by the pure, white light of the crystal beneath her. Thrusting her arm down into the crevice, her fingers contacted something cool and smooth. Hearing rock pile shifting ominously around her, the woman shifted her hand and grabbed onto the source of light, flinching as it's unexpectedly sharp edges bit deep into her palm.

“Got it!” she cried triumphantly as she pulled it out into the open, only to yelp as the entire pile of ruble shifted dangerously beneath her. Just as she started to fall, though, she felt herself lifted into the air and deposited a short distance away.

“Good thing I got you, huh Lucy?” Happy said with a giggle as they landed, and she looked over her shoulder to give him a relieved smile.

“You bet,” she replied, then looked down at the thing in her hands just as Natsu came over, dusting his hands off.

“Kinda pretty,” he said remarked as all three of them examined it thoughtfully. The artifact, as promised, looked much like a star, though not one of the traditional five pointed variety. Rather, it had several long points, with shorter ones protruding from between in three dimensions, rather than the flat shape Lucy had been expecting.

Though it had flared blindingly when she had laid hand on it, now the star glowed a soft, white light, except for one point, which glittered a violent shade of crimson from where Lucy had cut her palm on it's surprisingly sharp edge.

“Did you hurt yourself?” Natsu asked, nostrils flaring slightly as he caught the scent of blood, and noted the red that stained the artifact.

“Oh, it's just a cut, don't worry about-”

“It's here!” shrieked Happy, cutting Lucy off as Natsu whirled, and something huge and snarling lunged at them from the darkness.

Lucy cried out as she was unexpectedly shoved out of the way by Natsu the instant before he was overtaken by the monster. A sharp pain lanced up her thigh as she landed awkwardly on the uneven ground. An agonized yell from Natsu erased any concern over her own body she might have had, though, and Lucy shoved herself to her feet and looked around wildly, clutching the star to her as the only source of light.

“Natsu?!” she shouted over the feral snarling and sounds of struggling somewhere in the distance. The acoustics of the vast chamber meant that sound bounced crazily around the area, making it seem as though the fight were occurring on all sides. The lack of fire lighting up the dark terrified her more than she liked to admit.

“Lucy, over here! Help!” Happy screamed, and the celestial spirit mage raced recklessly into the dark towards the point she thought his voice originated from, the sound of fighting becoming more intense as she did.

She scrambled over and around piles of rubble, and leaped over a chasm she dared not look down into in order to reach the fight, slipping along the way more than once. Reaching the top of a particularly large pile so she could get a look at her surroundings, Lucy spotted Natsu facing off against the alphyn directly below her.

The beast was huge, ten feet tall at the shoulder, and easily double that in length. It was covered in thick, black fur that flared in a mane around it's wolf-like face. She could only watch in horror as it lashed out at Natsu with a clawed forelimb like that of a dragon's.

The dragon slayer was strangely slow to dodge, though he just barely managed to avoid taking a slash across his belly. Already one eye was blinded by blood that flowed freely into it from a gash just below his hair-line, and he was favoring one leg.

“Natsu, what's wrong?” she called worriedly, wondering why he had yet to use any of his magic against the monster. Sure it was big, and obviously fast, but it should really be no problem for Natsu...

The dragon slayer didn't answer, though, simply circled the alphyn warily with his fists at the ready while it watched him closely in return, waiting for a chance to move in for the kill.

“Lucy, it's his magic, it's not working,” Happy panted as he clambered up next to her “and neither is mine! Every time I get close my wings fail!” the exceed cried as she bent down and picked him up.

“Hold this,” she told the cat as she handed him the treasure “Hold it out so Natsu can use the light to see what he's doing,” Lucy instructed. With a hand free, she reached for her keys and prayed as she grabbed one and raised it high in the air “Gate of the bull, Open! Taurus!” she cried, holding out hope that maybe the strange magic dampening that had fallen over them might not affect celestial magic.

Her call, though, went unanswered, making her swear and shove the key back in it's case. She briefly considered using the whip at her belt, but without magic, her fleuve d'étoiles was useless, and the monster was well out of range of her normal whip.

Below them, the alphyn lunged for Natsu again, and he dodged, then darted in with a punch that would normally level a building. Without his magic, though, the strike barely made the monster flinch. In retribution, the alphyn snapped it's head around and sunk it's teeth deep into the dragon slayer's flesh. The size of the beast's mouth was such that Natsu's entire left arm, shoulder, and half of his torso were engulfed.

Though she could tell he tried to hold it back, a cry of agony tore free of Natsu's throat as the alphyn bore down on him with the full strength of his jaws.

“Natsu!” Lucy screamed, watching in horror as blood streamed down his body from a dozen puncture wounds while he tried in vain to pry it's jaws loose with his free arm. Without thinking, Lucy dropped Happy, who was weeping hysterically over the star that was clutched tightly in his little paws, and grabbed up the biggest rock she could lift. With a strength that would surprise her later, the celestial spirit mage hurled the stone down onto the beast's back, where it hit with enough force to make it stagger and drop Natsu, who collapsed into a bloody heap at the thing's feat.

Snarlingly furiously, the alphyn turned and gazed up at her, teeth bared. Curiously, though, it was quickly distracted by Happy...and the treasure he was holding.

The monster leaped forward as Lucy put two and two together and grabbed Happy, then rolled to one side, teeth snapping right behind her. The creature rounded on her as she slipped down the hill, sharp edges tearing at her clothes and skin. Looking back up the hill to see if it was pursuing her, Lucy saw it struggling to clamber over the top, as though it was being held back by something.

Happy still clamped to her chest with one arm, and the star held tightly in his, Lucy hurriedly circled the hill just in time to hear Natsu snarl “Hey, your fight's with me you stupid fleabag!” as he hauled on the alphyn's long tail, muscles straining as he threw all of his weight into it, making use of gravity to prevent the monster's advance. With a roar, Natsu pushed away from the ground, launching himself into the air, blood pouring from his wounds with the effort of it. As a result of the dragon slayer's added weight, and the loose stone beneath it's paws the alphyn tumbled backwards, snout over tail until it landed in a stunned heap at the foot of the hill, just barely missing taking Natsu with it.

“Oh god, Natsu!” Lucy cried, dropping Happy in her haste to get to her wounded friend's side. The exceed landed on his feet, though, and hurried after her without complaint.

The celestial spirit mage arrived just in time to catch Natsu before he could tumble down the hill after his opponent. Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed him by the arm, and quickly slung it over her shoulders so she could support him. One arm wrapped around his waist, the other went to his chest to stabilize him. His skin was slick with his own blood, and it wasn't long before she was covered in it.

“You have to run,” he rasped, one good eye fixed on the alphyn, which was already pushing itself unsteadily to it's feet blow them. The dragon slayer wiped furtively at the eye that had been forced shut by the blood from his head wound, and was able to open it once more.

“Like hell we're leaving you here,” Lucy snapped, Happy chiming in his agreement “It's obvious that thing has some sort of dampening effect on magic,” she said, jerking her head at the monster “If we stay here, we're all going to be it's dinner, do you understand that?” Lucy demanded, simultaneously furious and terrified.

“Lucy,” Natsu murmured, his voice slightly slurred from blood loss as he turned to look at her, charcoal eyes flat and his expression emotionless as he said “You'll never make it out of here alive if you have to take me with you.”

Lucy blanched in horror, his words driving into her heart like a shard of ice as she shook her head fiercely in denial. Natsu took a breath and straightened his shoulders, standing upright once more as he took a determined step away from her.

“Even if we give the treasure back, it's never going to let us just walk out of here,” he said as he turned away from her, hands bunched into fists “I'll buy you the time you need, just get yourself and Happy the hell out of here.”

“No!” Lucy shouted, reaching out to grab her best friend, but her hand passed through empty air as Natsu leaped into the air and drove his feet down into the alphyn's head. It's roar of pain echoed deafeningly as tears rolled unhindered down the celestial mage's cheeks.

Natsu was going to die.

A sob racked Lucy's frame, and clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle the sound as the battle below recommenced.

“L-Lucy...what are we going to do?” Happy asked in a tiny, agonized voice.

The woman looked down at him where he stood at her feet, tears streaming down his cheeks as he gazed up at her, hopeless and wide eyed. The star in his paws cast a cold, harsh light across his features, though already she could see that it was colored by yet more blood from his tender pawpads...

The star...

Reaching out a hand, Lucy's face settled into hard lines as she said “Happy, give me the artifact.”

“What are you going to do?” he asked, the tiniest hint of hope coloring his voice as he passed it up to her.

“I'm going to distract that thing and lead it away from you and Natsu. As soon as you can fly, you get him out of here, do you understand me?” she asked, brown eyes dark and uncompromising as they met his “I don't care how much he objects, or how much he struggles, you get him the hell out of here and to the hospital in town, got it?”

“I...but Lucy...what about you?” the exceed asked, voice cracking in distress as he clung to her ankle.

“I'll meet you back in town, I promise,” she said, reaching down and stroking his head affectionately, fighting back tears of her own. She couldn't cry now, she had to be strong, for all of them.

The sight of Natsu's limp form being sent flying down below them was enough to make up Happy's mind, and the cat nodded firmly, wiping away his tears as he released her ankle “Be safe, Lucy.”

“I'll try,” she said with a weak smile before skidding down the pile of rubble without pausing to think. If she thought things over now, she'd freeze up and start questioning her sanity. No, now was the time for action. Natsu's life depended on it.

Running up behind the alphyn, she grabbed up a large rock and lobbed it, striking the creature in the shoulder, but it ignored her in favor of advancing on the limp, bloody form of her best friend where he lay in a crumpled heap at the base of a pillar.

“Hey!” She screamed desperately as she circled around and threw a second rock, this time hitting it right in the head while she prayed that she wasn't too late to save Natsu.

This time, the monster snapped around and snarled at her.

“Yeah, that's right, I'm talking to you!” she shouted at it, waving the star before her to get it's attention, ignoring the way it's sharp spines bit into the soft skin of her hand “You want this, huh? It's your job to guard it, right? Well come and get it! I promise I'm tastier than he is,” she called, backing up a few steps as the alphyn began to advance towards her.

On the other side of her opponent, Natsu struggled to push himself into an upright position “Lucy, wait,” he called, fingers clawing the dirt as he tried to get up “What are you doing, you have to run!”

“What do you think I'm planning on doing, dummy!” she shouted back at him as she threw another rock at the alphyn, which snapped at her and took a step closer.

“No, I mean-”

“Yeah I know what you mean,” she said “But your idea is stupid, so I'm going with mine!”

The alphyn chose that moment to lunge at her, making her shriek in alarm and dart away at a break neck pace for the nearest doorway.

“Lucy!”

The blonde ignored her friend's plea in favor of praying that this wouldn't be the last time she would ever she him. She didn't have time to dwell on any regrets she might have (too many, she realized distantly), so she forced herself to focus on running. She could hear the alphyn on her heels as she entered the corridor and made a sharp turn.

The tunnels were narrow, narrow enough to slow the beast down, but hopefully not enough to deter it from following. To be certain, though, she paused and waited until it had rounded the corner after her successfully, and waved the artifact at it again, enraging it enough to force it to pursue her, rather than abandon the chase and go back to the weaker prey.

Lucy sprinted down corridor after corridor, lungs screaming in agony, and legs protesting every step. The terror that filled her as she listened to the labored breathing of the monster that she dared not glance back at was enough to give her feet wings.

The thought of looking at the map she still carried in her bag to figure out the fastest way to escape never even occurred to the celestial spirit mage. Not that she would have had the time anyways. More than once, the alphyn came within clawing distance, and only a sharp turn down another hallway saved her, the madly dancing rays of the bloodied star in her hand the only thing lighting her path through the darkness.

When she came across a flight of stairs, elation and terror warred within her breast. Would the alphyn follow her up, or give in and go back to find Natsu and Happy? Had she put enough distance between them to allow the exceed to evacuate their friend from the ruins?

Was he still alive?

Lucy viciously slammed that thought into a mental box and locked it tight. There was no time for thinking like that right now, she had to focus on getting out. She had promised Happy, and she knew Natsu would never forgive her if she died alone in some backwater ruins for the sake of some stupid archaeologist's nick-knack. Knowing him, he'd find a way to the afterlife and drag her all the way back, just so he could tell her off for being so stupid.

Fighting back a sob as tears rolled down her dirty cheeks, cutting swaths through the dust that had gathered there, Lucy launched herself up the stairs. She tripped at the first landing, but caught herself with her free hand and pushed on, using it to help her run up them much like she had as a child until she was able to catch her footing again. Behind her, she could hear the alphyn's claws scrabbling against the stone steps as it struggled after her.

The stairs came to an end at a hallway, the woman's forward momentum carrying her so quickly that she collided with the wall at the top of the staircase. Looking to her left, she saw only a blocked hallway. To her right...there was an alcove with a window.

“Oh no, no no no. Please, no,” she pleaded with the universe as she ran to the window. The glass had long since been smashed out, leaving it open to the night sky, an evening breeze drifting in through the opening.

Leaning out of the window, she looked around, but saw only the flush sides of the tower she had apparently ascended...and a hundred foot drop into inky black water below. The sight made Lucy's blood run cold, and she froze at the sight, her stomach leaden and her breathing shallow.

So this was it. She either stayed and got eaten by the alphyn, or she jumped, and drowned.

Lucy gripped the window frame with one bloody, white knuckled hand while the other clutched the artifact, and stared unseeing out into the dark as the alphyn reached the top of the stairs. Her knees weak, and arms shaking, the blonde climbed up onto the window frame and took a deep breath as the warm breeze that poured in from outside caressed her battered body, drying her tears and the blood that coated her skin and soaked her clothes.

Natsu's blood.

As the monster stalked towards her from the darkness, sensing it's hunt was finally at an end, Lucy turned her eyes up to the sky and drank in the stars one last time before pushing off the sill, and plummeting into the darkness.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! I really did not anticipate it taking me so long to get to the actual wish mentioned in the summary...but I promise we'll get to it next chapter, lol!  
> Please leave a review if you enjoyed it, they really help me keep writing! My muse is a brat like that, lol.


	4. Wish Upon a Star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know I said I'd update again on Wednesday, but I really liked this chapter, so I figured I'd post it a day early! I'll keep to my Saturday posting schedule, but I might bounce back and forth between Tuesday and Wednesday for the mid-week update.
> 
> Remember to leave a review if you enjoy this chapter! They definitely keep my muse going!

The fall wasn't that bad, really. Honestly, after all the fear and the running, once she had committed to the fall, Lucy felt...free.

Unfortunately, she blacked out on impact. With the last tendrils of her consciousness, she wondered if Natsu and Happy were okay as she drifted into the inky depths. The ice cold water numbed her pain and her mind, allowing her to slip seamlessly into the darkness of oblivion.

“Lucy!”

A sensation of warmth against her lips, and the unpleasant feeling of someone pounding on her chest. She wished they'd stop already, didn't they realize that she just wanted to rest?

“Stupid girl, I swear I'll kill you if you die, do you hear me?!” a second voice shrieked.

“Come on, Lucy, breathe, please!”

Breathe? Wasn't she already doing that?

Lips pressed fiercely against hers and exhaled deeply, filling her lungs for her before breaking contact and pounding on her solar plexus again. The kissing was nice, but boy could she do without all that hitting.

Lucy couldn't help but feel like she was forgetting something. Wasn't she in the middle of something before she'd fallen asleep? If she could just remember, maybe she'd feel like getting up...

“-certain there wasn't anyone else in the water?”

“I'm sure! Just this stupid glowing rock she was clinging to like a life-line!”

“So, what? She's just out in the middle of fucking nowhere by herself? No Natsu? None of her friends?”

Natsu!

All the fear and pain came rushing back, crashing over her mind like a tidal wave that drove her back into consciousness at a breakneck pace and kick-started her heart. Oh gods, she couldn't breathe! Why couldn't she breathe?

Panicking, Lucy rolled over and retched, her gut heaving as she coughed up the water from her lungs, her fingers scrabbling weakly in the dirt for purchase. Natsu, she had to find Natsu and Happy!

“Oh thank the stars!” A familiar voice said from somewhere to her left while a presence on her right lifted her into their arms and clung to her fiercely, sobbing wretchedly into her dripping hair.

There was a sensation of cool, soft skin pressed against hers as she was embraced, and hot tears dripped onto her forehead from above “You stupid brat, don't you ever scare me like that again!”

Lucy tilted her head slightly in an attempt to see the person holding her “Aquarius,” she whispered weakly as the water bearer spirit held her close to her chest and refused to let go. With a sigh, and as much of a smile as she could manage, the celestial spirit mage returned the embrace.

“But how did you-”she murmured, a frown crossing her face as she pulled away slightly and looked around until she spotted the second presence “Loke?”

The spirit's normally impeccable suit was soaked, his red hair plastered to his scalp, and tinted glasses nowhere to be seen. He was seated on the ground, dripping, legs akimbo as he leaned back on his hands, looking exhausted.

“This was not what I had in mind for our first kiss, Lucy,” he chided her half-heartedly, earning him a slap upside the head with Aquarius' tail “I'm sorry! Just a little levity to lighten the mood,” he said ruefully, rubbing the side of his face.

“How did you know? I couldn't use my magic, I...” tears welled up in Lucy's eyes as the fear threatened to swamp her again.

“I don't know what happened, but all of the sudden I felt the magic link between us, our contract, falter,” the spirit explained, all attempts at levity falling away as he pulled his legs in and rested one arm on his knee and regarded her with solemn, hazel eyes.

“We all felt it,” Aquarius said as she carefully released Lucy with uncharacteristic tenderness and helped her sit upright “It's the sort of thing that one only feels when...” the words died on the mermaid's lips as she turned her gaze from Lucy, unable to continue.

“It's something we only feel when our master is on the verge of death,” Loke finished for her, tone grim “So obviously I opened a gate myself and came through.”

“I was nearby, so he pulled me with him,” the water bearer added “Damn lucky he did, too. You were nearly at the bottom of that stupid lake,” she said, voice venomous as she regarded the body of water that had almost claimed her master.

“I'm sorry for worrying you,” Lucy said quietly after a moment of silence between the three of them.

“And you damn well should be!” Aquarius raged, back to her old self now that the girl before her was no longer in danger of losing her life “Mind explaining just what the hell you were doing drowning your self in a fucking lake?!”

Normally she quailed in the face of the water bearer's wrath, but right now, all she could do was smile and say “I'm sorry, I promise you can shout at me all you want later, Aquarius, but right now I have to go find Natsu and Happy,” as she pushed herself unsteadily to her feet.

Loke was beside her in a flash, taking her arm in his to steady her so she wouldn't fall “Lucy, you're in no condition to go anywhere right now,” he said firmly.

“And don't think you can give me the brush off that easily, either!” Aquarius said as she hovered at Lucy's side.

“Please, I have to find him,” Lucy said, fresh tears springing to her eyes, making her raise a hand to hide her face from her friends “He was...oh gods, Loke, he was bleeding so much,” she managed to choke out.

A look passed between Leo and the water bearer, and though she was frowning fiercely, Aquarius finally said “Fine, I'll go... but dammit girl, I'll get my answers from you later, or so help me...”

Lucy managed a nod for her friend before the other female disappeared, then turned to Loke and said “You can go too, Loke, I'll be fine now.”

The lion spirit just rolled his eyes and started them walking up the hill that would lead around the ruins, though not before Lucy paused to collect her water logged backpack and the artifact that had nearly cost all of them their lives.

Apparently she had managed to run all the way to the opposite side of the labyrinth during her mad dash, as she vaguely remembered noticing a lake on the map when they had first entered the ruins.

“Is that what you came here to find?” Loke asked conversationally as they walked, easily bearing her weight as she leaned heavily on his arm.

“Yes,” she said quietly as she stared down at it's sparkling form. The lake water had washed it clean once more, leaving the light it radiated pure white.

“Was it worth almost dying for?”

“Not even a little bit,” Lucy replied immediately with a rueful snort as she reached behind her and shoved the source of her misery into her backpack.

“Mind telling me what happened?” Loke asked, tone gentle, but insistent as they gained the top of the hill.

The celestial spirit mage sighed, and then said “Alright.”

* * *

“Happy, we have to go back!” Natsu snapped, trying his best to dash around his blue friend, only to have the cat appear directly in front of him again, blocking his path. After Lucy had lured the alphyn away from them, the dragon slayer's magic had returned full force, but with how much damage his body had taken before it had gone, he was left exhausted. Enough so that Happy had succeeded in carrying Natsu as far as the hill overlooking the ruins before he had struggled free of his grasp.

“We can't! I promised her that I'd get you to the hospital,” Happy objected tearfully as Natsu stumbled and swore at the pain that lanced through him during an attempt to get around the exceed again “You're hurt, Natsu, you'll be killed if you go back in there!”

“I'm fine,” the dragon slayer lied, knowing full well that he was on the brink of collapse, but ignored it in the face of the knowledge that Lucy was alone somewhere in that vast, dark labyrinth with a monster. “We have to go back and save her, goddammit!” he repeated angrily as he finally succeeded in dodging around Happy and bolted down the hill.

“Do you want her sacrifice to be for nothing?!” Happy screamed after him, hovering where he had been left behind. The moon came out from behind a cloud, then, casting it's cold, blue light across the scene.

The words brought the dragon slayer to a hard stop, and made him go utterly still for a long moment. The shadows were filled with the quiet restlessness of the forest's night life, and the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze as the pair stood frozen in silence.

“Nothing has been sacrificed today,” Natsu snarled quietly, voice harsh and angry as he rounded on Happy and marched back up the hill, his eyes blazing “Do you hear me?” he demanded and grabbed the exceed by the shoulders and shook him sharply “Lucy is fine.”

“Then trust her to come back, Natsu,” Happy said quietly as his friend's hands loosened their grip on him, and then began to tremble.

At that moment, the last of the dragon slayer's strength gave out on him, and Natsu fell to his knees in the grass.

“Natsu, we have to get you to the hospital,” Happy insisted worriedly, moving to grab his friend by the shoulders to carry him away, but was intercepted by the man's outstretched hand.

“No.”

“But-”

“I won't go in after her, but I'm not leaving until she comes out,” Natsu insisted in a flat voice that brooked no argument as he seated himself in the grass to wait for his partner.

Happy fluttered indecisively for a moment before eventually nodding and taking a seat beside Natsu on the ground. He wanted to keep the rest of his promise to Lucy, but the exceed knew that the moment he tried to move his friend against his will, he would probably get burned. Maybe if he was lucky Natsu would fall asleep and he could carry him back to town then...

Natsu didn't fall asleep, though. Instead, he stared out into the darkness, stretching his senses to their utmost in the hopes of finding Lucy. He ached all over, and despite his powers having returned, a few of his deeper wounds were still bleeding sluggishly. He'd have to see to them soon or he'd wind up passing out from blood loss.

The alphyn...despite it's unimpressive stature (compared to many monsters he had faced), it was quite possibly the most formidable foe he had ever fought. It was not particularly strong, or fast for a monster, but it's powerful magic negating abilities had make it uniquely suited to mage killing.

He had faced villains that had been able to block his magic before, but this beast was different. It didn't just negate his ability to manipulate fire, it stripped him right down to the roots of all his dragon slayer abilities, leaving him helpless. His dragon-gifted strength, speed, and durability had all been snuffed out in an instant.

Was that what being human felt like?

Sure mages were all technically human, even he and his fellow dragon slayers, with their unique ability to eat elements fell into that category. Magic, though, inevitably wrought changes on those that used it. Even mages who's powers weren't necessarily battle oriented, such as Levy and Reedus, gained the benefit of increased durability and strength. It was simply to a lesser extent than fighters such as himself, Gray, and Erza.

In the alphyn's presence, though, Natsu had been completely robbed of all that, feeling as though he had been left with the strength of a child to take down a monster. The pain of it's teeth in his flesh had been like nothing he'd ever felt before, and even after he had managed to drag it down the hill away from Lucy and Happy, he'd known that this would be the fight that finally killed him.

He'd been strangely okay with that, though, so long as Lucy and Happy were able to escape. His friends...no, his family were worth giving his life for. Was there a better way to die?

Natsu propped his elbows on his knees and buried his face in his hands, distantly feeling Happy lean reassuringly against him.

He'd chosen his fate willingly, and then Lucy had taken it away the moment she had stepped up and face the alphyn, distracting the creature from finishing him off. In that moment, delirious with pain and blood loss as he'd struggled to focus on her, the dragon slayer had thought she was an angel.

Not one of the monstrosities that that new Oracion Seis woman had liked to summon, but the sort he had seen in the stained glass windows of the Kardia Cathedral; beautiful and full of light as they descended from heaven to save the souls of sinners.

A moment later, his mind had snapped back, and he had realized that it was Lucy, lit by the light of that cursed star, that had come to save him, drawing the alphyn away and giving him a chance to escape with Happy, instead of the other way around.

“Lucy!” Happy cried at his side, startling Natsu from his reverie. The dragon slayer lurched unsteadily to his feet and looked around for his friend. His eyes found the exceed first, as he soared down the hill...and into Lucy's outstretched arms.

He stood there for a moment, watching as the pair embraced. Lucy's golden hair hung damply around her shoulders as she held Happy close, having come free of her usual pigtails at some point. Her clothes were stained dark along one side with what seemed to blood, which made his heart drop briefly into his stomach until he realized that it was his blood her clothes were stained with, not her own.

All in all, she seemed...okay. Safe.

It was only once he had come to this realization that Natsu noticed Loke standing by her side, one hand wrapped around her shoulders, supporting her. Without thinking, the slayer broke into a run that carried him down the hill towards his partners. It lacked all grace, but it brought him to her in moments, though he had to brake hard to avoid bowling her over. As it was, he came to a stop a mere foot before her, breathless, flushed, and at a loss for words as he looked her up and down, checking again for serious injury.

“You're alright,” he said after a long moment of silence between the two of them, during which Lucy turned her eyes from Happy to meet his gaze.

“You're not,” she observed quietly as she gently pulled out of Loke's grip and passed Happy to the spirit to hold.

“I'll live,” Natsu replied with the ghost of one of his cocky grins.

As they regarded one another steadily, Lucy's lip trembled and she bit down on it before throwing her arms around him and holding him close, trembling with the force of will it took to reign in her tears.

“Well, maybe not, if you squeeze that tight,” Natsu said with a chuckle, even as he slipped his arms around her slender frame and hugged her with equal ferocity. As he leaned his head down and buried it in his friend's wet hair, he heaved a long sigh of relief that he hadn't realized he'd been holding back. He could smell the salt of her tears, but didn't comment, distracted as he was by the fact that his knees chose that moment to give out on him again.

The pair collapsed into a pile on the grass, Natsu wincing as Lucy landed on him with a yelp of surprise. He maintained his hold on her when she tried to pull away, unwilling to break contact with her just yet.

“Are you alright?” she asked finally when she realized that he wasn't going to let her go. Her large, brown eyes were filled with concern as they gazed down into his, and a blush had creeped its way across her features again. It just wasn't a good day unless he had made her blush at least half a dozen times, Natsu thought absently.

“Yeah, I'm fine,” he said “Just got tired of standing is all,” he lied.

“Oh, don't listen to him, Lucy!” Happy interjected as he struggled against Loke's hold. The spirit had been watching the little reunion with a great deal more interest than Natsu liked, but he didn't comment.

Their eyes did meet, though, over Lucy's head as the girl turned to look at Happy when the exceed hurried over. Loke arched an eyebrow at the dragon slayer, a smirk playing across his handsome face as he pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants. Natsu frowned slightly at the spirit before he was distracted by Happy poking him sharply in the shoulder, right next to one of his deeper wounds. The sharp, stabbing pain that bloomed in his muscle was enough to make him gasp and release his hold on Lucy.

The celestial spirit mage sat bolt upright, snatching her hands away from Natsu's writhing form as he struggled to get himself back under control “Happy, why didn't you take him to the hospital like I told you?” She asked their furry partner, and the exceed took on a guilty, though helpless expression.

“I'm sorry, Lucy, I tried!” the exceed insisted as Lucy slipped the straps of her backpack off of her shoulders and dragged it around so she could rummage through it “I got him as far as the hill and then he got away from me.”

“It's alright, Happy. I suspect it's a miracle that you got as far as you did,” Lucy remarked with a snort as she dragged a first aid kit out of her soaked bag. The kit, at least, was water proof, so the bandages and other supplies within were still dry.

“Here, let me help,” Loke said, crouching down on the other side of Natsu from Lucy. His master gave him a grateful look for his offer, and immediately handed over some of her supplies.

“I said that I'm-”

“Natsu, if you try and insist that you're 'fine' one more time, I swear I'll...I'll never go on a job with you again, do you hear me?” Lucy scolded her friend, frowning fiercely down at him as she set to work bandaging the worst of his wounds. The dragon slayer huffed, a small trickle of flame escaping his lips in his annoyance, but the threat seemed to do the job, and he lay still.

The healers at the hospital could do more than she could, but if she was going to get them there without Natsu blacking out on her, she would have to staunch the bleeding first. Honestly, she didn't think she even had enough bandages to cover all the damage the dragon slayer had taken, an estimation she knew to be accurate when she carefully opened Natsu's shirt and gently peeled away the tattered black fabric to expose the extent of the damage.

Across from her, Loke hissed sympathetically and immediately set to work, doing what he could for his fellow guild mate. Lucy blanched at the gory mess that lay before her, but quickly set to work.

She could have a mental breakdown later.

“Happy, pull the water bottle and one of my clean shirts out of my bag?” she instructed the exceed, who quickly complied while she picked fragments of fabric and grit from the deepest of Natsu's wounds, focusing as hard as she could so she wouldn't faint the way she so dearly wanted to right now. Blood wasn't normally a problem from her, but being forced to face the damage wrought on her best friend's body was almost too much for her.

“Here, Lucy,” Happy said quietly as he passed her the bottle, followed by one of her shirts.

“Thanks,” she murmured and doused the shirt with clean water from the bottle, then tore the fabric in half and passed one section to Loke “Try to clean the wounds as best you can with that,” she told the spirit, who nodded and accepted it wordlessly. Lucy turned her attention back to the ravaged flesh before her, and carefully applied the dampened cloth, clearing away the clotted blood and dirt.

Her hand shook treacherously as she worked, until her progress was unexpectedly halted by Natsu. His calloused hand wrapped gently around hers, making the celestial spirit mage look up to meet his eyes. He didn't say anything, and she wasn't sure she'd have been able to keep it together if he had, but he did offer her a reassuring smile. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, Lucy returned the smile and her friend released her now steady hand, allowing her to continue.

* * *

Between herself and Loke, with Happy assisting as needed, they were able to get Natsu patched up well enough to stop the worst of the bleeding. A lack of supplies, though, meant that some of his lesser injuries had to remain untreated beyond a simple cleaning.

“Alright, think you can make it?” the spirit asked Natsu as he gave the dragon slayer a hand getting to his feet.

The rose haired mage's movements were slightly awkward and stiff, though after an experimental roll of his shoulders, he nodded and said“Yeah, I'm-” Natsu paused mid-sentence, remembering Lucy's threat just in time to adjust his wording “I'll make it.”

Smiling to herself as she caught Natsu's near slip, Lucy put away what remained of her first aid kit, shoving the bloody fragments that remained of her sacrificed shirt into an outside pocket. No need to leave them laying around, potentially leading the alphyn back to them if it were to somehow escape the ruins...

As she got to her feet and slung her pack onto her back once more, the celestial spirit mage looked skyward to try and judge the time. She was shocked when she realized that the moon was still on it's ascent, meaning that only a couple of hours had passed since they had first entered the ruins. Had so much really happened in so little time? Both she and Natsu had nearly died, and the night wasn't even half over yet.

“Alright, lets get going. The sooner we can get you to a hospital, the better,” Lucy told Natsu as she settled her bag more comfortably on her shoulders before turning her attention to Loke and saying “Thanks...for everything, Loke,” in a quiet, sincere tone before stepping forward and hugging him unexpectedly.

The lion spirit blinked in surprise, frozen for a moment, before returning the gesture and wrapping his arms around his master. He gave her a tight squeeze and said “Any time, Lucy,” before ruining the moment by adding “Next time, though, I expect a real kiss, yeah?” as he grinned and raised his eyebrows suggestively at her.

Lucy flushed beet red at the comment and said “Will you get out of here already!”

“You certain you'll be okay?” Loke asked, tone serious once more as he turned his gaze from her, to Natsu and Happy.

“We'll be fine!” the blonde said firmly, making her spirit chuckle.

“Alright, take care. Don't hesitate to call if you need us,” Loke said before disappearing in a flash of golden light.

Lucy huffed, still blushing as the red headed spirit vanished, then turned her attention back to Natsu and Happy “Come on, lets get out of here. If I never have to see this place again, it'll be too soon,” she grumbled and started up the hill.

Dragon slayer and exceed shared a look before shrugging and heading off after their partner. Happy was simply relieved to finally be leaving the ruins, but Natsu's head was echoing with Loke's words.

'Next time, though, I expect a real kiss, yeah?'

The thought of Loke kissing Lucy perturbed the dragon slayer, but the red head's words also confused him. A 'real' kiss? What constituted a 'fake' kiss, then? Whatever it was, it certainly seemed to embarrass Lucy.

Shadows closed in around them, leaving the three of them night blind under the cover of the trees. Without even thinking, Natsu conjured a flame to his open palm and held it out in front of him so that they would be able to make out the faint path that lead back to the main road.

A soft hand on his forearm, though, made Natsu stop and look around.

“Here, save your strength, we can just use this,” Lucy said as she slipped one of the straps on her backpack off so she could pull it around and get into the main compartment. The dragon slayer blinked in surprise when she pulled out the artifact they had been sent to retrieve. With everything that had happened that evening, he'd completely forgotten about it.

Lucy held out the star before her, it's pure white light illuminating the path easily enough for them, so Natsu acquiesced and doused his flame as they started forward once more.

“I don't like that thing,” Happy said as he landed tiredly on Natsu's shoulder and put his wings away.

“Me neither,” Lucy agreed, wrinkling her nose in dislike as she glanced back at Happy and Natsu “I'll be glad to finally hand it over to that guy so we can get our money and go home already.”

The girl was almost concerned when Natsu didn't chime in with his agreement, or some comment on wanting to eat something good when they got back to the guild. The thoughtful silence that seemed to weigh heavily on his shoulders wasn't like him at all, not once a battle was done and the enemy defeated, anyways. Granted, they hadn't exactly defeated their enemy today, but at least they'd all managed to escape with their lives...

“Hey Lucy?” the dragon slayer asked, finally breaking the silence.

“Yeah?”

“What did Loke mean back there? When he said he expected a 'real kiss' next time?”

“Eh?” she said, and stumbled over a root in her surprise at the question. She caught herself, though, and kept walking, keeping her eyes forward so her friend wouldn't see the panic setting into her features. She'd been hoping she'd never have to tell Natsu that she'd nearly drowned (or had drowned, rather, if she was being honest), but if he kept pressing, she wouldn't have a choice. She could never outright lie to him that way.

“It does kind of imply she fake kissed him,” Happy mused thoughtfully from his perch.

“What's a fake kiss?” Natsu wondered aloud, trying to imagine it, but not coming up with anything reasonable.

“Maybe she just pretended to kiss him? Loke's always teasing girls, maybe she teased him back,” Happy said with a little chortle.

“M-maybe,” Lucy said noncommittally, hoping they'd just latch onto that idea and go with it.

Natsu laughed and said “Yeah, or-” before his words cut off sharply. Memory of seeing Lucy with Loke at the base of the hill, Happy rushing into her arms, flashed before the dragon slayer's mind's eye. He hadn't thought anything of it at the time, but they'd both been wet. Lucy's skin had been chill to the touch when he'd hugged her, her hair damp when he'd buried his face in it...how had the strangeness of that not struck him sooner?

“You didn't kiss him,” Natsu said quietly, stopping in the middle of the path as Lucy did the same, turning back to look at him, her features lit by the pale light of the star in her hand.

“What?” she asked, confusion writ plain on her face. As he gazed into her eyes, though, he could see the panic in them, and in the way she started absently playing with a lock of her still-damp hair with her free hand.

“You didn't kiss Loke,” he repeated, his heart pounding almost deafeningly in his ears as the words spilled unhindered past his lips “He gave you CPR.”

The way the blood drained from the blonde's face was all the answer he needed to know that his guess was correct. The world spun wildly around him as the full weight of his words hit him. Lucy had drowned in her efforts to save him. She had drowned and he had been so oblivious of the fact as to actually think that she looked okay when he saw her again.

Someone was calling his name, and shaking him, he realized as his mind snapped back to the present. He was still standing in the middle of the path, but both Lucy and Happy were regarding him with worried expressions. They were worried about him, when it was Lucy that had drowned somewhere while he had sat here, waiting for her to come back. If it hadn't been for Loke, he would still be waiting...

“Natsu, are you- Ah!” Lucy cried out as the dragon slayer suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and loomed over her, eyes dark as pitch as the starlight in Lucy's hands cast deep shadows across his sharp features “Hey, that hurts!”

“What happened?” he demanded, shaking her, as though hoping it would jar the answer loose from his partner. His heart was still pounding, and he felt sick to his stomach as he waited for her to speak, for her to tell him just how he had failed her.

“Natsu, calm down!” Happy said from his shoulder, tugging on his hair to try and get his attention, only to be ignored.

Realizing he wasn't going to stop shaking her until she answered, Lucy cried out “The lake was my only option!” The shaking ceased, but Natsu retained his tight grip on her arms as he gazed down intently at her, clearly not about to let go until he had the whole story, so she sighed and continued “I was leading the alphyn away so Happy could get you out...and it cornered me at the top of a tower,” she admitted quietly “The hallway was blocked and the alphyn was on the stairs, but there was a window that looked out over the lake. It was a hundred foot drop, but it was that or...” the words died on her lips and she shrugged helplessly as she looked up at Natsu, her eyes dark “I blacked out when I hit the water. Loke felt I was in trouble, and he and Aquarius saved me.”

The dragon slayer's jaw clenched unconsciously at her words. She'd died and he hadn't even been there to try to save her...The enormity of this fact was almost too much for him to absorb, and the idea of a world without Lucy in it was one that made him feel ill even considering. She'd become a constant in his life since they very first day they met in Hargeon, and not having her around was like missing a limb.

“Why?” he asked quietly, voice dangerously close to shaking as he looked down at the ground, unable to meet Lucy's eyes any longer.

“Why what?” she asked, confusion clear in her words.

“Why did you lead that thing away? You almost died because of me!”

“Natsu, it was going to kill you, I couldn't just stand there and watch-” Lucy began, only to be cut off.

“I could have handled it! You weren't supposed to be there at all, you were supposed to run!” the dragon slayer insisted almost angrily as he turned his eyes up again and his gaze burned down into hers.

“Stop saying you could handle it!” Lucy cried, shaking free of his hold on her arms and taking several steps back “You couldn't handle it, I was watching you die!” she screamed, her whole body shaking with the force of her emotions as they surged up to swallow her once more.

The dragon slayer took a step forward, reaching out to her in an attempt to comfort, but Lucy stepped away again to avoid him. So instead, he said in a low, fierce tone “You and Happy are my family...I love you, and that means that I'll do whatever I have to to protect you.”

Lucy went stock still at his words as his unspoken implication sank in and hit her like a slap to the face. Whatever it took to protect them...even if it meant sacrificing himself.

The tears that had been threatening since the start of the conversation finally broke free and spilled down her cheeks as she said “That's not fair, Natsu. Family isn't one way, ” her voice high and tight with emotion “We love you too, and we never want to see you get hurt.” And yet he always insisted on just that.

Natsu watched the blonde, his hands hanging limply at his sides, a frown on his face. He hated to see her cry. He hated to see any of his family in pain, but somehow it always hurt the most when it was Lucy. Watching her stand before him, an agonized expression on her face, and tears flowing freely, he wanted nothing more than to reach out and take her in his arms. Somehow, that had always seemed to help in the past...but he could tell it wouldn't this time.

“If I can't use this power to protect those I care about, then what good is it?” He asked, looking down at his hands as fire burst to life around them, and neither Lucy nor Happy was sure if he was addressing them, or himself. Natsu's overwhelming physical and magical strength was an integral part of who he was, as was the way he used it to protect his loved ones. If she was upset with him for doing that...then who did she want him to be? He could only ever be Natsu Dragneel, he didn't know how to be anyone else.

Lucy bit down hard on her lip in an effort to get herself under control again. She sniffed and wiped furiously at her treacherous tears “You want to talk power? How do you think it feels to be the one relegated the sidelines while you throw yourself into trouble head first?” she asked bitterly before looking him straight in the eye, star clutched so tightly in her right hand that it cut her once more “I wish you could understand what it was like to not be able to protect the person you care about most because you don't have the strength, no matter how hard you try!” she declared, voice fierce, but eyes full of sorrow as the artifact in her hand glittered strangely.

None of them noticed, though, and Lucy continued in an anguished tone “My power won't let me protect you the way I want to Natsu, the way you always protect me...you have no idea how that feels!”

Shocked by his partner's passionate outburst, the fire around Natsu's hands died. Was this really how she felt? Judging by the sincerity of the emotions writ clear across her pale face, he had to assume it was. But how could she possible think she was weak, when she was one of the strongest people he had ever known?

“What are you talking about?” he asked, voice rough, genuine confusion in his eyes as he stepped forward again, one hand reaching cautiously out to her. This time, she did not step away, and he was able to lay a hand on her shoulder. Natsu let his palm trail down the length of her arm until he came to her hand, and held it gently in his as he continued “Lucy, you are strong. You and your spirits help all the time. You fight along side me and everyone else when it counts, you never run away from a fight no matter how out matched we might be...We couldn't do it without you.”

Lucy's gaze fixated on where their fingers intertwined as she shook her head “Loke and the others are wonderful, and strong, Natsu, and they get to fight to help you while I stand at the back and watch. It's not the same. It's not me protecting you. It's them protecting you on my behalf!” she insisted as she let the artifact drop to the ground and used her now free hand to hide her eyes from him in an attempt to smother a fresh wave of tears.

“And you'll never understand how awful it feels...” she said in a quiet, anguished voice “but I wish you could. I really wish you could, because then, maybe you'd think twice about being so goddamn self-sacrificing for a change.”

From it's place on the ground between their feet, the light of the star dimmed, until only a small, glittering twinkle remained at it's heart.

“Sh-she's right, Natsu,” Happy agreed in a small, shaking voice. At some point, the exceed had dropped from his shoulder onto the ground, where he stood, staring at the ground as he fidgeted with his tail “It's scary, when you get hurt all the time and we can't help. I...I wish you understood how we felt too.”

The rose haired mage stared at Happy for a long moment, and then at Lucy “I-” he started, unsure of what to say. They were upset because he always threw himself into danger to protect them, but what else was he supposed to do? How else was he supposed to protect two of the people he loved most in the world?

“You're right, I don't understand how you feel,” he admitted finally, an apologetic expression on his face as he used the hand that wasn't holding Lucy's to rub the back of his head absently “I'm sorry,” he apologized “I only do it because...because I don't know what else to do.”

“I know,” Lucy said, her voice tired as she looked up at him and gently squeezed his hand “Love makes people do crazy things,” she added as she stepped forward and wrapped her arms lightly around him in a hug, not wanting to jar his wounds, but craving the reassurance of physical contact with her beloved friend. The warmth of his skin against hers, and the gentle rise and fall of his chest was a balm to her heart. They hadn't exactly come to an understanding, but fears had been aired and acknowledged. At the end of the day, they were all still here. Their family was still whole, and that was what mattered.

Natsu's heart skipped a beat when Lucy slipped her arms around his waist and rested her cheek against his shoulder. It felt like the most natural thing in the world to wrap his arms around her in turn, and hold her as close as he could manage without causing his injuries to complain “Yeah, it does,” he mused quietly in agreement even as his eyes turned downward and caught sight of Happy.

“Oi, come on, you too. This is a family hug,” Natsu chastised the cat, loosening his grip on Lucy just enough to let him in.

Lucy giggled and made room for the exceed as well, who grinned tearfully up at them before jumping into their shared embrace.

“Aye!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we are, Lucy has finally made her wish! How exactly it will manifest itself is something that will be revealed next chapter ;D Hope you guys enjoyed the extra length on this one, lol. It seems to be a trend that the chapters are getting longer the deeper into the story I get.  
> Also, I did make a sort cover image for this fic, which you can find on my deviantart! My username there is hakari-chan, and it's in my gallery under the title 'One Wish'. Note that the image IS kinda spoilery for how Lucy's wish plays out, so maybe wait a chapter or two to have a look if you don't want spoilers.
> 
> Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed! They definitely help keep me writing!


	5. The Road Home

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is mostly a transitional chapter, but I sneaked some fluff in there, so hopefully you'll enjoy it regardless ;D We'll be back to the action next chapter!  
> Also, I apologize if the spacing seems kinda odd on this chapter. AO3 inserted a bunch of extra space between paragraphs and I had to go through and edit it out manually. In the preview it wound up looking fine, but I apologize if it's a big mess when I submit.  
> Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed! My muse demands them or she stops talking to me.

By the time they made it back to town, all three of them were exhausted, Natsu in particular. Though he objected loudly to her offers of assistance, Lucy ignored him and inserted herself under one of his arms to bear at least a little of his weight.

When they reached the city limits, Happy flew ahead to find the hospital, and returned a few minutes later to guide them in the right direction. To say that the healers who received them at the entrance were shocked by Natsu's injuries was an understatement. In their eyes, it was a miracle he was alive, let alone walking and talking.

Despite his complaints, Natsu was quickly pulled away from Lucy and Happy to meet with one of the intensive care healers, while his companions were seen to by nurses who were more than capable of taking care of their, comparatively, minor injuries. It took Lucy telling the dragon slayer that they'd come find him as soon as they were patched up for him to allow the healers to lead him away.

Unfortunately, whatever she promised, it was still some time before the healers let them in to see Natsu, who had been given a room to recuperate in. Luckily, the nurses were of the accommodating sort, and they brought a cot into the room for Lucy and Happy to sleep on, rather than making them find a hotel in town to stay at.

When they were finally left alone, Lucy sat on the chair beside Natsu's bed and watched him sleep while Happy made himself comfortable in the crook of the dragon slayer's arm. The celestial mage would have been surprised to see the rose haired man sleeping so peacefully after the events of the day, had she not been told by one of the nurses that he had been placed under heavy sedation magic. Apparently he had been quite insistent that he leave as soon as they were done, despite the healer's insistence that he needed rest after having so much healing magic worked on his body.

Lucy smiled ruefully at her partner as she reached over and gently brushed a strand of pale pink hair out of his face. In his sleep, Natsu sighed at the touch, and she allowed her hand to linger, running her fingers through his hair in a soothing fashion as she watched the gentle rise and fall of his chest.

Before long, though, the adrenaline and sheer force of will that had carried Lucy through the evening finally wore off. Her eyes became increasingly difficult to keep open, and her limbs as heavy as lead. Yawning widely, the blonde rose from her seat and flopped bonelessly down onto the cot, pausing only to wrap herself in the blankets that had been provided before falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

 The sensation of warmth on her face drew Lucy into the waking world the next morning. Groaning quietly, she threw one arm over her eyes to block out the light, but the damage had been done, she was awake.

Rolling over, the woman opened her eyes and was met with the sight of Natsu watching her from up on his bed. He was propped up on one elbow, chin on his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.

“Are you watching me sleep?” she asked, voice rough from sleep “Creep,” she added with a yawn that masked the smile that had been spreading across her features. The pain and trauma they had experienced the day before, followed by their argument, was utterly eclipsed by her relief to see him awake and grinning at her.

“Not my fault if you look funny while you sleep,” he teased and flopped onto his back again.

“Shut up, liar,” she grumbled and sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes before kicking the blankets aside and getting to her feet “'M gonna take a shower,” Lucy mumbled and headed for the small bathroom attached to the room Natsu had been given, grabbing her pack as she went.

“Don't take all morning,” Natsu called after her “I'm starved!”

Lucy didn't answer, but did smile to herself as she shut the door behind her and stripped out of her dirty clothes. Natsu's apparently intact appetite relieved her more than she wanted to admit.

Starting the water so it could warm up, Lucy turned to her bag and rummaged through it. Everything in it was still somewhat damp, and wrinkled, but not so much so that she didn't feel she could wear it. After a night like the one she'd had yesterday, the state of her clothing was far from the top of her list of priorities for a change. All she wanted to do was get back to Magnolia, and the guild, so she could put this whole mess of a quest behind her.

Setting aside her (somewhat) clean clothes, and shoving the dirty ones into her pack in their place, Lucy got into the shower. The hot water cascading through her hair and down her body felt like a little slice of heaven, and revitalized the celestial spirit mage in a way that usually required at least two cups of coffee.

For all that she had been put through hell yesterday, today she felt...good. Like, really good! Far better than she should, considering the beating her body had taken.

As the woman washed herself with the complimentary bar of soap, taking care of the bandages the healers had put on her hands, she found herself looking for any of the bruising or scratches that she _knew_ had to be there. She had had several very rough falls the night before, so surely there must be some mark left behind as proof. Shockingly, though, she didn't find a single one. Her fair skin, now that it had been washed, was completely unblemished.

Surprised by this revelation, Lucy pulled back the bandages on her hand and peeked under them cautiously. When she couldn't make out a single cut, though, she stripped them off and inspected her palms.

The deep cuts that the star artifact had inflicted on her hads the night before were completely gone. There were a few, very minor scars that were almost impossible to pick out, but other than that...she was fine.

“Wow, these healers really know what they're doing,” she murmured to herself, awed and pleased that she wasn't so much as sore after the day she'd had yesterday.

After giving her hair a quick wash, Lucy stepped out of the shower and dried herself before getting dressed. The shower had really done wonders for her! She felt awake, energized, and ready to take on the world in a way that was rare for her first thing in the morning. As Natsu was constantly complaining, she did _not_ have the easiest time waking up.

Humming quietly to herself as she stepped out of the bathroom with her bag after brushing her teeth and drying her hair, Lucy was surprised to see that Natsu had fallen asleep once more, Happy still curled up next to him. Considering that she had expected him to be up and bouncing off the walls by now in his eagerness to go eat, this development took her completely off guard.

Placing her bag on the chair by the bed, Lucy looked down at the sleeping mage and couldn't resist smiling. He looked so uncharacteristically peaceful when he slept, compared to the riot of energy the dragon slayer was when he was awake. He always seemed to be dashing off somewhere, eating something, or challenging someone...

In that moment, Lucy was so full of affection for her dear friend that she impulsively leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his brow. Pulling away, she tenderly brushed her fingers through his hair, then rummaged through her bag and retrieved the artifact.

As she reached the door, a quiet voice reached her ears, and stopped her in her tracks.

“Where are you going?” Natsu asked, voice heavy with sleep, his eyes still closed, though his face did turn towards her.

Taken by surprise, she responded “I-I was just going to go to the client's house to deliver the artifact and collect our money.” Internally screaming, she was wondered how long he'd been awake for. Had he felt her kiss on his forehead? Just what had possessed her to do that, anyways? In any case, she was very glad that her friend's eyes were still closed, as she was pretty sure that she'd give a beet a run for it's money in a color contest.

“M'kay,” Natsu murmured in reply, and Lucy heaved a silent sigh of relief. Just as she opened the door to leave, though, he added “Be safe.”

“I will,” Lucy replied with a smile, and left.

* * *

As she stood on Johnathan Hawke's front stoop and waited for him to answer the door, Lucy wondered just what her first words to him should be. Half of her wanted to slap him full in the face for what his stupid job request had put herself and her friend's through, but the other just wanted to throw the star at him, get the money, and get the hell out of there.

“Miss Lucy!” Johnathan exclaimed in surprise when he opened the door a moment later, and beamed down happily at her “You're back already? Though-” his smile faltered as he noted that she was alone “not with your companions, I see. Are they alright?”

“Yes,” she said quickly as he opened the door wider so she could enter “Well, mostly. Natsu is still at the hospital.”

“Oh dear, I am very sorry to hear that,” the man said, seeming genuine “Would you care for some tea?” he offered, waiving towards his study.

“Um, if you don't mind, I'd just like to give you this, get our money, and go,” Lucy said as she pulled the star out of her purse and held it up for him to see, feeling much more curt than usual. Whatever the extra energy boost she'd gotten this morning, it seemed to come with a healthy dose of impertinence.

“Oh, yes, of course,” the large man said, blinking in surprise at her brusque manner, but not taken aback enough to object. After all, she had clearly retrieved what he wanted where so many other guilds had failed, no point in delaying.

The man disappeared into his study for a few minutes before returning with their promised fee. The young woman passed over the star and accepted the stack of cash, pausing to give it a quick count before turning her attention back to Johnathan.

He seemed utterly enthralled by the artifact in his hands, a strange, almost obsessive expression on his face.

“Be careful, it's sharp,” Lucy warned as she stuck their money in her pocket and regarded him thoughtfully.

“Hmm? Oh, yes of course,” Johnathan replied, caught flat-footed by her warning. He smiled at her after a moment, then, and offered her his hand to shake “It has been a pleasure doing business with Fairy Tail, Miss Lucy. Thank you very much. You have succeeded where so many others have failed...that's only to be expected of Fiore's number one guild, though, isn't it?” he said with a smile.

Lucy took the man's hand and shook it, though she could not bring herself to smile in return “I wish I could say the same, but this mission was utter hell, and if I never have the like again it will be too soon,” she admitted honestly as she released his hand.

Their client had the good grace to look a little embarrassed “Ah, is that so? I'm sorry to hear it,” he said noncommittally.

The celestial spirit mage regarded the man for a long minute before finally caving in and asking “Did you know, Mister Hawkes, that the alphyn apparently possesses the ability to fully negate a mage's magic?”

“Does it? How very extraordinary,” Johnathan remarked, seeming surprised, though Lucy couldn't tell if he was being genuine or not “That would certainly explain why so many of the other mages had such trouble with the mission...” he added as he turned his attention back to the artifact in his hand.

“Yes, yes it would,” Lucy agreed, eyes narrowing slightly as she considered him. After a moment, though, she realized she was unlikely to get anything out of the man. Whether he had knowingly sent them to their deaths or not, she wanted nothing further to do with the scholar “Good bye, Mr. Hawkes. I certainly hope that rock was worth your money,” the woman said, then left before he could muster an answer.

* * *

When she returned to the hospital room, Lucy was relieved to see that both Natsu and Happy were up and about, though the dragon slayer was only just, it seemed.

“Lucy!” Happy exclaimed cheerfully, waiving at her from the bed.

“Hey Happy,” the blonde said with a cheerful smile before turning her attention to Natsu “How are you feeling?”

“I'm fine,” he said on reflex, then flinched when he recalled her words the night before when she had been patching him up. He glanced at her warily as he pulled his tattered, but freshly laundered top on over his bandages.

“It's alright, the ban has been lifted, as long as you're being truthful,” Lucy said and laughed as she walked over to her bag and shoved their money inside, knowing that Natsu generally preferred waiting until they got back to town to divvy things up.

“You _are_ being truthful, right?” she asked, arching an eyebrow at him and moving to where he stood by the bed, buckling his belt. She picked up his scarf from where it had been draped over the end of the bed, and offered it to him, her eyes searching his when they met.

Perhaps as a side effect of their argument the night before, Natsu actually hesitated, rather than answering immediately in the affirmative as he normally would have.

“Mostly,” he admitted finally “I feel fine, but...something seems a bit-” his face contorted into a thoughtful grimace as he tried to quantify the way he was feeling “-off?”

Immediately concerned, Lucy asked “Are you sure you want to leave? We can stay another night so you can rest, if you like. Doesn't even have to be here, we could go to an inn or something,” she suggested worriedly.

Natsu shook his head and took his scarf from her hands, looping it around his neck with a practiced gesture “Nah. I'll feel better once we're home,” he said confidently, smiling down at his partner to alleviate her worry.

“Let's go eat some breakfast! I'm dying for some fish!” Happy exclaimed, leaping excitedly up and down on the bed, making both his human partners smile at his antics.

“Alright, if Natsu's sure he wants to eat right before he gets on a train,” she teased lightly as she gathered up her bag.

The dragon slayer seemed almost green at the thought of the train ride, but apparently his hunger pains were sharp enough to make him want to eat regardless of whether or not he'd be puking his meal right back up in an hour.

“Might as well eat,” he said as he lead the way out “I'm starved! I hate being hungry,” he grumbled and pushed the door open, only to pause and look around with a quizzical expression on his face.

“What's wrong, Natsu?” Happy asked.

“I feel like I'm forgetting something,” the dragon slayer said with a frown, his brow furrowed in thought.

“Well, you did lose your bag back at the ruins. Is that it?” Lucy suggested as she shouldered her own.

The look the rose haired mage gave her was comical. Apparently that fact had only just hit him “Aw man, my stuff!” he exclaimed, ruffling his hair with both hands in annoyance.

“Sorry, but there's not a snowball's chance in hell that we're going back for it,” the celestial mage said flatly.

Natsu huffed, but knew she was right “Stupid monster, I bet it ate all the snacks and is using my blanket for a bed,” he grumbled before heading out the door.

“Poor baby, the world is so unfair,” Lucy mused with a roll of her eyes as she and Happy followed after him.

* * *

Breakfast was a shorter affair than Lucy anticipated. While Natsu ate, it wasn't with his usual gusto, and certainly not in the usual quantity. He, dare she say it, ate a _normal_ portion for breakfast. That in and of itself was enough to convince her that he was right about something being off. Then again, maybe it was just the anticipation of the upcoming train ride that was putting him off of his meal...

Lucy herself, once they had sat down and looked at the menus, realized that she was _ravenous_. In fact, by the time all was said and done, she'd not only eaten considerably more than normal, but had definitely eaten more than Natsu himself.

“Watch out, Lucy, if you keep eating like that, you'll get fat!” Happy teased her from over a plate of fish.

“Don't even,” Lucy threatened, waving her fork at him and narrowing her eyes “I'm absolutely starved after last night. Make fun and I swear I'll eat _you_ , kitty cat.”

“N-Natsu! Don't let her eat me!” Happy cried, clinging to his friend's arm, fake tears springing to his large eyes.

“I'd like to see her try,” Natsu replied with a laugh “She'd probably cough up blue hairballs for a week,” he added, poking the exceed in the tummy between bites.

“Ew,” Lucy grimaced, sticking her tongue out at the thought.

In the end, their meal came to a close without anyone getting eaten, so they paid their bill and headed directly to the train station. On arriving, though, all three were taken aback by the tremendous crowd of people gathering at the entrance.

“What is this? Some sort of rush on the trains?” Lucy complained as she was jostled from behind by yet more people arriving.

“Tch, bastards,” Natsu growled, putting an arm protectively around her shoulders after someone nearly knocked her clear off her feet in their push to reach the front of the crowd“Happy, will you fly ahead and see what's up?”

“Aye sir!” the exceed said cheerfully, leaping into the air from where he'd been perched on Natsu's shoulder and soaring away over the crowd.

As they waited, it occurred to Lucy that they could always move back and wait at the rear of the crowd where Happy could easily find them. However, she was finding that having Natsu's arm around her so she was pressed flush up against his side wasn't something she really objected to, even if it meant being trapped in a crowd of strangers.

The celestial spirit mage tilted her head so she could rest it on his shoulder without seeming like she was trying to make a move. The very thought made her blush, but that didn't stop her from doing it, or from sniffing experimentally.

Her nose was immediately full of his scent, the strength of it catching her off guard. Was it just because they were so close, or had he used some sort of cologne? She sniffed again, and decided that, no, he hadn't used cologne. Or if he had, it was of a very unique make.

Natsu smelled of the clean cotton of his shirt, and just a hint of smoke. The herbs that she had noticed in his hair the day before were also there, ruling out her idea of it coming from his shampoo. He had used the same soap she had that morning, after all, which she could also smell. It didn't have much of a fragrance beyond an indefinable sort of 'clean' scent. Were the herbs just part of his natural aroma then? Curious.

“Are you sniffing me?”

Natsu's sudden question sent a jolt up Lucy's spine, and she went stiff as a board as she was discovered “I! I-er...y-you smell nice,” she admitted, blushing furiously at being caught doing something so embarrassing as sniffing her best friend. Daring to glanced up at him, Lucy caught him giving her an odd sort of smile that she couldn't quite place the meaning of.

“Thanks. You smell nice too,” he said simply, though his smile faded and a slight furrow appeared on his brow.

“What's wrong?” she asked, suddenly self conscious as a dreadful idea occurred to her “Oh my god, are you just saying that? Do I smell bad?” Lucy exclaimed in horror, pulling at the collar of her shirt to try and find the source of whatever odd smell she was certain he had picked up on to be making a face like that.

“What? No,” Natsu said, rolling his eyes at her antics “It's just...”

“Just what?” she asked with a frown, though she let her shirt go and turned her attention to him instead.

“You don't smell as much as usual,” he said, though his voice was low, like he was talking more to himself than he was to her.

“Are you trying to say that I _normally_ smell?!” She cried, dismayed by this revelation.

“No!” the dragon slayer exclaimed, clearly agitated “You always smell nice,” he said firmly.

“O-oh,” Lucy stammered, feeling her ears burn with the intensity of her blush. He noticed how she smelled? Not only that, but he thought she smelled nice? Well, at least someone had noticed all that perfume she spent so much money on...

“Yeah, though I like it better when you don't cover it up with that scented water stuff,” Natsu admitted, shooting Lucy's thoughts on the matter down in flames.

“You mean my perfume?” she asked, blinking up at him. If he didn't like the way that smelled, then what _did_ he like?

“Yeah, that,” he said with a nod, recalling the words that had been printed on the little colored bottles she liked to keep on her dresser “It's strong, and it doesn't smell as nice as you do without it,” he explained, actually seeming a little embarrassed as he revealed this piece of information. He turned his gaze out across the crowd around them, scratching the end of his nose distractedly.

“So,” Lucy started, trying to put things together “You like the way I smell normally...but you can't smell me today?” she asked, drawing his attention back to her with her summary.

“Yeah,” he agreed, sniffing in her general direction, frowning as he did “I can barely...” growling in frustration, he took Lucy completely off guard by suddenly leaning in and pressing his nose directly to the base of her throat and inhaling deeply.

“N-N-Natsu!” she exclaimed, heart pounding a mile a minute in the wake of his attack, suddenly hyper aware of everywhere he was touching her. Oh gods, did his lips just brush her throat as he pulled away? She was pretty sure they did “W-what are you doing?!” she exclaimed, feeling light headed and flustered as he withdrew, his eyes half-lidded as he considered something.

“Smelling you,” he said, as though this were the most obvious thing in the world, which, she supposed, it technically was. When he opened his eyes the rest of the way and looked at her, there was still a furrow on his brow, but a certain thoughtfulness to his expression that hadn't been there before, too “Even like that, I feel like I can barely smell you, Lucy,” he explained, worry tinging his voice, enough so that it succeeded in quelling her embarrassment for the moment.

“You think it has something to do with how you feel off this morning?” she asked with a frown of her own.

He nodded, but was prevented replying by Happy's return.

“Natsu! Lucy! The trains are down!” the exceed exclaimed as Lucy reached up and caught him so he wouldn't have to hover over the crowd and shout at them.

“What, seriously?” she exclaimed with a grimace “Looks like we'll need to go to an inn after all,” she remarked to Natsu.

“What? Dammit, what happened? Why are they out?” the dragon slayer demanded, clearly annoyed by this development. He was no fan of having to ride the train all the time, but he'd rather do that and get home as soon as possible than stick around here for a few more days.

“I don't know, all I heard is that there was some pretty bad damage to the tracks between here and Magnolia,” the exceed explained.

“I guess we could always rent a cart or something,” Lucy said, thinking of the hefty wad of cash in her backpack.

“Er, they've all been taken already,” Happy said, his tone almost apologetic “I guess there was a rush on them right before we got here.”

“Crap! How are we supposed to get home?” Natsu growled, frown turned fierce “I don't want to be stuck here while they fix the stupid tracks!”

“Well, one of the conductors was saying that there's a ferry port an hour or two south of here,” Happy suggested helpfully “Apparently a boat could take us all the way back to Magnolia.”

The dragon slayer groaned at this news, and Lucy patted him sympathetically on the arm, knowing full well that if there was something Natsu hated more than trains, it was boats.

“Alright lets get the hell out of here then, before everyone else beats us to that too,” Natsu declared as he turned and barged his way out of the crowd, leaving Lucy to follow close in the wake he left so they wouldn't become separated.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we are! Hope you enjoyed it! We didn't really find out exactly what came of Lucy's wish, but I promise it'll become more apparent next chapter ;D  
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! They really do help me keep up the inspiration to write!


	6. My Hero

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've decided to just go ahead and stick with a Saturday/Tuesday update schedule after realizing that if I bounced between Tuesday and Wednesday you guys would wind up waiting four days for an update two updates in a row sometimes. That just sucks, so I think I'll stick with Tuesday and Saturday!

The trio set a fast enough pace on their way out of town, that they quickly out-stripped any fellow pedestrians that had the same idea of pursuing a ferry to take them downriver to their destination. They kept it up for awhile, before finally slowing to a leisurely stroll.

The surrealism of the day continued when Lucy felt obligated to slow her pace first, not because she felt tired (quite the contrary, actually), but because Natsu actually seemed to be straining to keep up with her for a change.

Considering her options, Lucy said “I think we already passed everyone, Natsu, lets slow down. I'm getting kinda tired.”

It was a total lie, but the relieved expression that flashed briefly across the dragon slayer's features told the celestial spirit mage that she'd made the right call. Her friend was doing better than he had been the night before, but he was still riddled with holes from the alphyn's bite, after all. Plus, it wasn't as though there were any real hurry beyond a general desire to finally get back home to their friends and normalcy.

Natsu tsked at her 'complaint', though immediately fell into step alongside her as Happy drifted above on carefree wings “Geeze, Lucy. You should really work out more, or something,” he huffed. He turned gray eyes to her as he rubbed his chin, gaze trailing up her form “But...”

“But what?” Lucy asked, ignoring the way her skin tingled as her friend eyed her up. It wasn't as though he were checking her out or anything...right?

“You do look a bit skinnier than usual,” he finished thoughtfully, raising his eyebrows as he came to this conclusion “Have you been working out, Lucy?” He asked, sounding surprised by the idea.

“Well, I...yeah! I have been,” the blonde admitted at last. She was undecided on whether or not this flustered feeling was coming from the fact that her secret was finally out, or because Natsu actually paid enough attention to what she looked like day to day to notice that she had lost weight. For the normally oblivious dragon slayer, this was something of a miracle in her books.

“Really?” Natsu asked while Happy stared at her like she'd grown a second head.

“Lucy work out? But you don't even like to get sweaty!” the exceed exclaimed.

“Well, no, but that's what showers are for, right? Lucy said, feeling embarrassed by the attention. She glanced shyly back at Natsu to see what he thought of the matter.

The man's expression was one of amazement at this unexpected news, which quickly turned into a cheerful grin “Good for you, Lucy!”

The girl flushed at the praise, though part of her was still waiting for the teasing to start.

“So, what kind of exercises have you been-” the dragon slayer's words were cut off by a loud cry from a little ways off the road.

“Halt!”

While Natsu and Happy looked around in confusion after the trio came to a stop, Lucy picked up the sound of someone moving through the trees off to her right. Her hand went automatically to her hip, only to find that she had forgotten to return her whip to her belt after having shoved it in her backpack that morning as they left the hospital. She swore silently as the sound of even more people moving through the woods came to her ears, at which point Natsu finally seemed to pick up on the source of the voice.

Trying as subtly as possible to reach into her bag, Lucy was interrupted when a large man stepped out of the shade of the trees and said “Just stop right there, little lady. Whatever you've got in that pack of yours can wait.”

Lucy frowned, but let her hand drop before taking a step back towards Natsu. The dragon slayer had adopted his favorite posture of a wide stance and his arms crossed over his chest as he demanded “What do you want?”

The first man that had stepped out of the tree-line was huge, with a build to rival Elfman's if it weren't for the slight pot-belly that hung over his belt. A mane of brown hair framed a square and decidedly unpleasant face, which was currently contorted into a vicious grin aimed directly at them. Natsu's eyes flicked to either side of him, noting quickly that he had been joined by ten thuggish looking individuals, who stood in a line, blocking the road.

“Oh nothing much. We're here to collect the road toll, is all, and then you may be on your merry way,” the big man, who was obviously the leader of the little gang, said with a smile.

“This isn't a toll road! Just who do you think you are?” Lucy scoffed, hands on hips as Happy chimed in his agreement while Natsu scowled.

“Well, miss, we're the toll collectors,” the thug said, his smile widening into an outright grin “So if you'd kindly hand over five-thousand jewel, we can both be on our merry way.”

“Five-thousand for a toll?! That's ludicrous!” Lucy snapped gritting her teeth angrily as she glared up at the man in their way.

In reality, she knew they could pay the fee easily, what with the reward still sitting in her backpack, but that didn't mean she was going to. She and her partners had nearly died for that stupid wad of cash, so she wasn't about to give up a single jewel to some asshole who thought they could intimidate them.

“Go jump off a cliff! You're not getting a damn penny from us!” she spat.

At her side, Natsu laughed and grinned back at the mass of thugs “Well, you heard her. Go bother someone else,” he said, before pausing and adding “Or, better yet, don't,” as he punched his palm with his fist threateningly. 

The thug laughed, and his lackey's joined in, joking among themselves as Lucy turned her eyes to Natsu.

“Are you sure you're okay to fight?” she asked quietly so only he could hear, keeping her worry off of her face for the sake of keeping up appearances in front of the unruly mob “I'm sure Taurus could handle these guys no problem,” Lucy said, unable to keep her gaze from straying over the bandages that covered his chest and trailed halfway down one arm.

“I'll be fine, I promise,” he told her with a cheeky grin that made her smile in return “A good fight is just what the doctor ordered,” Natsu joked “Just need to get my blood pumping and I'll feel better in no time,” he added as an afterthought, mostly to himself, the worry that had haunted him on waking that morning briefly visible in his eyes.

Lucy was quiet for a moment, torn on whether or not to object. In the end, she nodded and smiled “Okay!” she said, exuding confidence in her friend for both their sake's as she and Happy moved to the side of the road to give him some room.

“Right, so you want our money?” Natsu asked with a grin as he settled into a fighting stance “Come and get it,” he challenged, egging them on with a beckoning flick of his fingers.

The big man stared down at Natsu for a moment, before bursting out laughing, his gang quickly joining in as they cheered him on.

“Come on, Bran, show him what happens to brats that don't do as their told!”

“Yeah, boss, squash him like a bug!”

“Alright alright,” the big man, Bran apparently, said with a chuckle as he reached behind him and removed a huge, spiked club from where it had been hanging across his back. He turned his gaze to Natsu and said “Last chance, kid. Pay up and we'll let you, your lady friend, and your cat walk. Don't, and I break every bone in your body.” The man's eyes ran up and down Natsu, clearly noting the quantity of bandages on his person “Not that you seem to need a lot of help with that.”

Behind Bran, the thugs broke out into peals of jeering laughter. Natsu ignored them though, his grin widening as he said “Nah, I'll take care of you, beat the hell out of your guys back there, and then we'll go. I've been dying for a good fight.”

Bran shrugged “Alright, your funeral, kid,” before smiling and swinging his club at Natsu in a side sweep as he said “I was hoping you'd insist anyways.”

The dragon slayer took a step backward, avoiding the blow by such a narrow margin that Lucy swore one of the spikes grazed her friend's cheek. This suspicion was confirmed when a fine cut opened up below his eye and began to bleed.

“Natsu, what are you doing?!” the celestial mage demanded from the sidelines. Was he trying to show off by cutting it so close? Or was he still hurting bad enough from his wounds that they were slowing him down? Still, even being in pain had never kept Natsu from winning a fight in the past...

A horrified gasp escaped Lucy when Natsu jumped back out of the club's range, but his leap didn't carry him anywhere near far enough. He twisted in vain to avoid the blow, but it still caught him in the shoulder and sent him skidding backwards as he fought to keep his feet.

There was a scowl on Natsu's face as it set in that apparently he still wasn't up to snuff after his fight the night previous “Alright fine, no more playing around then,” he growled before shouting “Fire Dragon's Roar!” and exhaling sharply at Bran, who paused, taken by surprise by this sudden change of events.

Lucy's stomach dropped when no burst of flame answered Natsu's call to sear his enemy. In fact, nothing at all happened. The world tilted crazily on it's axis and the girl's shocked mind fumbled for an answer. What was wrong with his magic? Even injured it should still work, but there was nothing, not even a wisp of smoke...

Had the alphyn cursed him somehow?

“Natsu, move!” she screamed, watching as Bran hefted his club, laughing at Natsu as he swung it in a vicious downward arc.

With no time to dodge, Natsu threw his arms above him to block the attack, but Lucy knew that the blow would crush him. They hadn't survived last night's hell just for her to watch him get killed by some idiot with big ego and a club to match!

Before she even realized it, Lucy was moving, a blonde blur that tore across the road from where she'd been standing a second before. For a moment, the mage felt she had wings on her feet as every step she took carried her further than the last until she was barely even touching the ground.

She'd been intending to simply shove her friend out of the club's path, but as her sudden surge in speed carried her forward, Lucy reached out to Natsu and wrapped her arms around him, taking him with her as she shot past.

Bran's club hit the ground behind them with a loud crash as the girl skid to a stop, kicking up a cloud of dust with her passing. Lucy blinked in surprise as she looked around and saw that she had somehow made it clear across the road and moved Natsu before the blow had even landed. 

Trembling with elation and a sudden surge of adrenaline as the dust cleared, it took Lucy a moment to realize that her arms were weighed down by something. Looking down, she gave a start, shocked to see she was holding Natsu tightly against her chest, bridal style. The dragon slayer was, in turn, staring up at her, mouth agape and completely speechless.

“L-Lucy?” he stammered after a moment, clearly as taken aback by this strange development as she was. 

The blonde simply stared at him, her mind a riot of questions that she seemed to have no answers to.

How had she done that? Had she always been able to do that? Why was Natsu so light? What was he staring at over her shoulder?

Acting purely on an instinct that she'd never even known she had, Lucy ducked, folding herself around Natsu as Bran's club swung through the empty air where her head had been a moment before. Without thinking, she pushed herself forward into a roll, taking the dragon slayer with her, landing nimbly on her feet and then leaping away as the club made a comeback and smashed down into the place she had been crouching. 

Spinning mid-air, Lucy landed and slid to a stop, boots finding purchase in the dirt of the road after a few feet as she scowled at Bran and shouted “Hey! Watch where you're swinging that thing, jerk!”

“What the hell was that?!”

The sudden (very reasonable) question from the man she had almost forgotten she was holding made Lucy yelp and drop him, as though he had burned her.

“Ow! Lucy, come on!” Natsu complained as he climbed to his feet and brushed himself off.

“S-sorry!” she stammered, a wild expression on her pale face as she looked from him, to her hands, which were shaking.

“Wow, Lucy, you weren't kidding when you said you'd been working out!” Happy cried enthusiastically as he landed on Natsu's shoulder, clearly awed by this odd turn of events.

“What? Don't be crazy, I-”

Lucy's objection was cut off as Bran leaped into the fray once more, clearly not interested in giving them a minute to process what had happened “If I'd realized you'd make for the more interesting fight, I'd have gone after you first, miss!” the hulking gang leader said with a laugh as he swung is club in a downward arc towards all three of them.

Happy snatched Natsu out of the way, and Lucy leaped backwards, stumbling when she landed this time as she was taken much further away than should have been possible for her. What the hell was going on with her body today? There was no way this was the result of her training with Yukino. Sure, she'd gotten much more coordinated, faster, and stronger over the last month and a half...but this was in a whole different class.

Reaching for her keys, Lucy selected one as Bran chased after her, ignoring Happy and Natsu where they hovered on the other side of the road trying to get his attention. 

Feeling for her magic as she took her key in hand, she took a breath and channeled it down her arm as she always did and cried “Gate of the Virgin, open! Virgo!”

Before she even finished the spell, though, she felt her magic balk and slip out of her control as it refused to enter Virgo's key and establish the connection with the spirit world. Flinching, Lucy nearly dropped the item as it suddenly struck her how very wrong her magic felt. How had she not noticed sooner? How long had she been like this?

Her magic was normally a warm, golden light that rested just below her heart in the center of her chest, a comforting presence that allowed her to feel her bond to her friends in the spirit realm. Now, though, her magic had shifted strangely into something hot, and magma-like in her gut where it surged outwards through her body. She gasped, struggling for control over suddenly unruly power that wanted out, but certainly not via a key.

“Lucy!” Natsu shouted, and she looked around to the source of his voice, her head spinning as she broke out in a sweat “Watch out!” he cried, pointing wildly at Bran, who was on her in a flash.

“Gotcha,” he said with a grin as he brought his club down on her with all the force his massive body could muster.

“Lucy!” Happy screamed in horror, though to Natsu he suddenly sounded very far away as shock settled around his mind like thick cotton, isolating him from what was happening around him.

What was happening? He'd been feeling off all morning, and when Bran had attacked him, it was like fighting the alphyn all over again. Jumps that should have carried him easily out of range had barely moved him at all, and his injuries plagued him in a way that he was normally able to brush off in a fight. He'd been terrified that the alphyn's attack had somehow managed to rob him of his magic, despite having been capable of using it the night before.

When he'd reached for it, though, it had answered, and Natsu had felt so relieved that he didn't immediately notice that there was something distinctly strange about it. That had become apparent the moment he tried to channel his power into an attack, though. He'd filled his lungs, gathered the magic that answered his call, and then tried to exhale it out through his lungs like he always did.

Rather than bursting forth into the world as a fiery inferno, though, the magic had slipped from his grasp, fluttering away like a startled bird. It had been too late, then, and Bran's club had been descending towards his head faster than he could try to dodge...

And then Lucy had been there.

How she had managed to get from where she had been standing by the side of the road, to where he was in the blink of an eye was beyond him. She'd held him so easily, and all he could do was stare up at her, stammering her name before she was off again, rolling and dodging the way he had not been able to.

“Natsu, I'm going to throw you!” Happy said, his voice cutting through the dragon slayer's shock and jarring him back into the present. They were heading for Bran at top speed, the giant having not even had a chance to lift his club yet after...

Lucy.

“Do it!” Natsu ordered with a sharp nod, refusing to think of what he was going to face after he killed Bran, but there was no doubt in his mind that he would do just that.

“Aye!” the exceed cried as he spun, and then flung Natsu at the gang leader with all his might, making use of his momentum to add to the force.

Natsu flipped mid-air, then stretched out both legs, intending to drive both of his heels directly into Bran's spine.

The dragon slayer hit so hard that his knees buckled, and he was forced into a crouch. Miraculously, though, the man was still standing.

“Oh come on!” he snarled furiously, baring his teeth in frustration before shifting his stance and stepping up onto Bran's shoulders. He raised both fists over his head, aiming to strike the man to the side of the face as hard as he could. How was this guy still standing! Even without his normal super strength, the sheer momentum of Natsu flying through the air and hitting the thug should have been enough to topple him. The guy wasn't that strong!

“Natsu...”

The sound of his name made the rose haired man's heart skip a beat, and he froze mid-attack, his eyes finally daring to go to the place he had been so carefully avoiding looking...the place beneath Bran's club.

Relief hit him like a tidal wave as the sight of Lucy, completely unharmed, but obviously furious, overwhelmed his senses. She was okay, she was still alive...still alive and holding Bran's club at bay with her bare hands.

“Move,” she commanded, eyes riveted on her opponent, who was staring at her, completely aghast. It was no wonder Natsu's attack hadn't toppled the man, though. The blow had only served to drive him up against his club, winding him...and Lucy, who apparently had no problem taking the force of his jump attack on top of the one she already had.

“Right,” Natsu said, as he leaped away to be caught by Happy mid-air, mind still reeling in the face of this new, apparently super-powered Lucy.

“Is she okay?” Happy asked, voice small and confused.

“Yeah,” the dragon slayer replied, his face breaking into a grin as he watched Lucy tear Bran's club from the man's grasp and toss it carelessly to the side, taking out a few of his underlings in the process “She's going to be just fine.”

As he watched, Lucy pulled her fist back, and then jumped, driving it into the giant's chin with so much force that it lifted him ten feet into the air.

The blonde landed gracefully and watched as Bran dropped to the ground, then sluggishly rolled to his feet. Apparently the man needed a little convincing to stay down.

The woman's heart was pounding in her ears so loudly that she barely heard Natsu and Happy cheering her on from above, or the shocked cries of the thugs behind Bran. She looked down at her hands, breathing hard as she relished the power surging through her body in time with the beat of her heart. The magic that had nearly overwhelmed her moments before now sang a siren's song that echoed from her soul, down into the marrow of her bones.

The song it sang was a battle hymn.

The sound of rapid footsteps reached her suddenly hyper-sensitive ears, making the girl look up to see Bran rushing her in a bare handed rage. Lucy smiled, then launched into a head long sprint towards her opponent, her magic surging, filling her to the point of overflow...

There were words on her lips, words that needed saying. Four little words that would allow her to defeat her enemy in a single blow...

Though she'd heard the words a thousand times, Lucy spoke them for the first, and fire flared to life around her hand.

“Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!”

Her strike connected with Bran's solar plexus, stopping the man dead in his tracks for a split second, before rocketing him backwards with enough force to take out half of his gang as well.

Above her, Natsu and Happy stared, completely flabbergasted.

“Natsu, did she just...”

“Y-yeah,” the rose haired mage managed to eek out, at an utter loss to explain what he just saw.

Below them, the gang of attempted toll collectors were panicking. Half of them immediately ran off into the woods, while the others paused long enough to grab Bran and drag him out of the road.

“Sorry! Sorry for the trouble! Er, please don't kill us!” one of the bandits called before fleeing after the others, a terrified expression on his face when he glanced back over his shoulder to make sure he wasn't being followed.

As Happy set Natsu down gently next to Lucy, the girl continued to stare at her hands as though she were convinced that they weren't her own.

“Lucy?” Natsu asked, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder, but withdrawing it quickly when she flinched and looked up at him, wide brown eyes full of confusion...and fear.

“Natsu, I don't...I didn't! I-” the girl was pale, and seemed to be struggling to breathe.

“Calm down!” Natsu said, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her gently, just enough to get her attention “Lucy, I don't have any idea what the hell is going on,” the dragon slayer admitted “But I promise we'll figure it out.”

The blonde stared at him, tears threatening at the corner of her eyes “You're not mad?” she asked, voice quavering.

“Mad?” Natsu asked, wrong-footed by the unexpected question “Why would I be mad?”

“Because I stole your powers! This isn't my magic, it...it feels completely wrong, not at all like mine! It refused to go into my key and summon Virgo, and then it just overflowed and-” Lucy shook her head and dragged her hands down her face “Somehow, I took your powers, that's why you couldn't fight, that's why you've been feeling strange all day,” she insisted tearfully “But Natsu, I swear I didn't do it on purpose,” the former celestial spirit mage insisted, an expression of horror on her features as she looked at him.

From the look on his face, Lucy could tell that the idea of her intentionally stealing his powers had not even crossed his mind, which just made her feel worse. Dropping her face into her hands, the blonde fought back tears of at the thought of Natsu being mad at her, hating her for robbing him of his magic.

She was taken by surprise when, instead of angry words from her friend, she felt him slip one arm around her and pull her gently against his chest

“Lucy, you idiot,” he said with good humored exasperation as his free hand fumbled with something she couldn't see with her face still hidden “Of course you didn't steal my magic,” the man insisted.

“Well, she kinda did, Natsu...” Happy interjected.

“Of course you didn't intentionally steal my magic,” Natsu corrected pointedly, making Lucy finally look up from her hands to see her friend glaring in warning at the exceed.

Relief coursing through her system, Lucy let herself finally catch her breath. He wasn't mad at her, he didn't hate her...

He did, however, appear to be stripping one handed.

“N-Natsu! What are you doing? Are you picking up nasty habits from Gray?!” she demanded, trying to pull away in embarrassment.

Her friend kept his hold on her though, looking at her like she was an idiot as he finally finished opening the front of his tattered coat “No, but you seem to be,” he pointed out, arching an eyebrow as his eyes darted down to her chest and then carefully averted themselves once more.

“Huh?” she said, then glanced down as well, only to be horrified by what she saw there. Though her skin was completely unblemished, apparently the fire that had engulfed her arm during her final attack on Bran had burned away half of her shirt. The right cup of her bra was a smoking tatter just barely hanging on, and definitely not leaving much to the imagination. 

“The hell?!” she demanded as she clamped her arms across her chest and looked up at Natsu accusingly “You never have this problem! What happened?”

Natsu rolled his eyes, though a faint blush did color his cheeks as he let her go and turned his back on his friend “It's because I get my clothes special made,” he explained “They're all fireproof and spelled for durability,” the dragon slayer added as he unbuckled his belt and shucked off his jacket “Though obviously the durability thing only goes so far,” he scoffed as he stretched his arm out behind him, passing her his top and belt.

“What will you wear?” Lucy asked, embarrassed as she accepted his offering all the same and quickly put it on. Luckily, the worst of the damage to the black fabric the night before had been done to the left side, so between his shirt, and her own under it, she had one good top.

“I'll be fine, the nurses practically made me a second shirt with all these stupid bandages,” Natsu said, turning around once Lucy had clicked his belt into place around her waist. He paused unconsciously as he looked at her. For some reason, seeing her wearing his clothes was doing funny things to his stomach.

“How do I look?” Lucy asked, holding out her arms and smiling self-consciously.

“I-” Natsu cleared his throat pointedly and swallowed before giving her one of his usual toothy grins “You look great.”

“Thanks,” Lucy said, flushing at the compliment before adding “It fits surprisingly well, actually.”

“That's cuz your boobs take up all the extra space, obviously,” Happy replied with a snicker.

“Oi! I can burn you now, you know!” Lucy threatened, swatting half-heartedly at the exceed, who just giggled and dodged.

Natsu dragged a hand down his face, feigning exasperation to hide the sudden blush that had ambushed him at the thought of the way Lucy filled out his jacket.

“Come on, guys, we'd better get going if we want to actually make it back to the guild tonight,” Natsu pointed out “If anyone will know how to fix this, it'll be Gramps,” he added, making Lucy and Happy stop mid-fight, the pair looking comical as the exceed struggled against her hands, which tugged mercilessly on his ears.

“You're right! I bet Master will know how to fix this no problem!” Lucy said, voice full of hope as she released Happy's ears “And if not, then I bet Levy can find out!”

“Yeah,” Natsu agreed with a grin, glad to see her smiling once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not gonna lie, this was a pretty damn fun chapter to write, lol. Well, they all are, but this one particularly so. Every time I start a new fic, I tend to have a few scenes in mind that I know I want to happen before I even know how they can happen. Lucy rescuing Natsu and holding him bridal style is one of those scenes XD
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! If so, please leave a review! They really help me keep writing, no lie!


	7. Dinner and a Show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A QUESTION FOR READERS!  
> Would you guys be interested in a tumblr blog dedicated to this story? Not just for update notices, but maybe so followers could ask questions of the characters or myself? I like to draw, so I might even do illustrated answers to character asks... Leave a review with your opinion on the matter!  
> (will be putting this question at the end as well)
> 
>  
> 
> One Anon did bring up the interesting point that they thought Natsu would be more depressed at losing his powers. This was also my first inclination, and my rough outline had him acting much more along these lines. As I actually got to the real writing portion, though, it kind of hit me that this is Natsu we're talking about here. Natsu doesn't get depressed when people around him are dropping like flies and the world is literally ending lol, so I just couldn't bring myself to make him outright depressed at the loss of his magic. Not when A) it's not confirmed that it's gone for good, B) they don't even know what caused it yet, and C) they have a working plan to go talk to Makarov about how to fix the problem. The guy is definitely the type to just keep going until they figure stuff out, especially if they've got a plan. Natsu only recently learned the meaning of fear, you really think he knows how to feel depressed over stuff that doesn't involve someone very dear to him outright dying? XD

“Natsu, oh god, Natsu...” Lucy panted.

“Yeah?” the rose haired man replied absently from where he leaned against deck railing beside her, watching the scenery pass by. The ferry had only cast off half an hour before, but Lucy had long since lost her breakfast.

“I am so sorry. I'm-” the blonde's words were cut off by a round of miserable dry heaving as she doubled over the railing. Natsu caught her by the belt so she wouldn't topple overboard, a rueful smile on his face as he watched her.

She really was having a horrible time of it, even worse than he normally did. Granted, it was also her first experience with motion sickness, so she hadn't developed years of coping mechanisms like he had.

Lucy's convulsions subsided, and she sagged weakly against the railing and mumbled “-so sorry I ever made fun of your motion sickness.”

Natsu just laughed and patted her back reassuringly “It's okay. Seeing it from the other side, I can see why you did. You look super pathetic,” he pointed out.

“Shut up,” she whined pitifully, shutting her eyes firmly against the sight of the water below them. It seemed to help a little “When we get this figured out, and we're back to normal, I promise I'll give anyone who teases you for getting motion sick such a lashing with my whip...”

Though she couldn't see it, Natsu grinned down at her widely, her words igniting an unexpected warmth in his chest. Acting on instinct, the dragon slayer reached out and rubbed her back, his hand making gentle circles over the surface of his jacket as he said jokingly “I dunno, maybe we should just stay this way. I kind of like riding boats! I can really enjoy the view when my guts aren't trying to crawl up my throat.”

A shudder ran down Lucy's back, and Natsu pulled his hand away in concern.

“Ugh, no, don't stop,” the blonde said, flailing weakly when his ministrations ceased unexpectedly. Honestly, what she'd really like right now would be for him to rub her stomach, but the very thought of asking made her feel so embarrassed that she wanted to puke again. Her back would simply have to do.

“Alright, alright,” Natsu said with a snort of amusement “We should go sit down, though, no point in standing here. At this point you've lost everything in your stomach anyways,” he pointed out, knowing from his own experiences that this was the case.

Without waiting for her permission, Natsu scooped her up into his arms and walked over to one of the benches that were bolted to the deck, certain that staying out in the fresh air would be better than cooping her up in a cabin.

“Natsu, don't,” she protested weakly “I'm too heavy.”

The man rolled his eyes as he laid her gently on a bench “Lucy, just because I don't have my magic doesn't mean I'm not strong enough to carry you,” he said, annoyed that she thought him that weak “I know I tease you about being heavy, but you're really not,” he admitted.

“I know you're not weak,” Lucy said, eyes half-lidded as he lifted her head gently, seated himself, and then let her use his leg as a pillow “I just meant,” the girl paused as she was wracked by another wave of nausea, her arms clenched tight around her stomach “Your injuries...wouldn't want to rip your stitches.”

Natsu just hummed noncommittally in response, though his pride was assuaged by her words. At least she didn't think he was weak just because he didn't have his magic at the moment. Granted, he was weaker, just...not that weak. All the muscles weren't just for show, after all!

They were silent for a minute as Lucy trembled in his lap, groaning miserably.

He had found the revelation that, not only had Lucy somehow inherited his power, but his motion sickness as well, positively hilarious for the first ten minutes of their trip, but the humor had quickly worn off. He wasn't the type of person that enjoyed watching a friend suffer, especially when he knew exactly what they were going through.

Looking down at his friend thoughtfully, Natsu hesitated for a moment before reaching over and gently prying Lucy's hands away from her stomach.

“H-hey,” the girl protested feebly, eyes opening once more to glare half-heartedly at him “What are you....oh.”

Lucy immediately clamped her mouth shut when Natsu placed a hand on her stomach and started making slow, soothing circles. Unable to resist, the blonde released along, slow sigh of relief as his attentions started having an immediate positive effect.

“Just returning the favor,” Natsu mumbled, feeling an unexpected blush creep across his cheeks as he continued. The expression of pure bliss on his partner's face was doing strange things to his own stomach.

Lucy immediately tensed at his words, her eyes flying open “You! Y-you remember?” she stammered, her entire face going crimson at this revelation.

“Well, yeah,” he said with a snort, arching an eyebrow at her “I was still awake when you started, remember,” he pointed out, finding it funny that she'd apparently convinced herself that he'd forgotten.

They were both quiet for a long minute, during which Natsu thought that the girl in his lap had drifted off to sleep. Unexpectedly, she spoke again “Rubbed my hand raw for three hours,” she mumbled, eyes closed.

“Why'd you keep doing it then?” he asked, amused by this revelation. He had remembered her beginning, but he hadn't realized she had kept at it for the whole time. Though he'd never admit it, he was touched.

“You kept grabbing my hand and making me continue when I tried to stop the first few times,” she admitted, making him stare down at her in surprise. He certainly didn't remember that. Well...now that he thought about it, maybe he did have a vague memory of grabbing for her hand and dragging it to his stomach...The blush from a few minutes before that had nearly subsided returned again.

“Oh,” he said, swallowing against the tightness in this throat.

“Plus, you would sigh and make this really cute face,” Lucy added, clearly half asleep now, her voice barely above a mumble.

Natsu nearly choked at her words, entire face going red “Yeah right,” he scoffed, utterly embarrassed, though oddly thrilled at the same time.

“'s true,” Lucy muttered, voice petering off, a sleepy smile on her face “Super cute.”

She thought he was cute? The motion sickness must have addled her brain. He was a dragon slayer! Dragon slayers were definitely not cute, dammit! Well, okay, so Wendy was definitely cute, but she was a little girl. Totally different case.

“Shut up,” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face to hide his blush from Happy as the exceed returned from finding himself some lunch.

* * *

As soon as Natsu's feet touched ground with Lucy in his arms, the woman's eyes flew open and she looked around in surprise.

“Oh thank god!” she cried gleefully, struggling out of her friend's arms so quickly that he half-dropped her. She didn't seem to notice, though, as she was too busy doing her best to hug the ground beneath their feet.

“Lucy, you're gonna get stepped on,” Happy said with a laugh as he watched his friend's antics.

“Eh, let her have her moment,” Natsu mused, moving around to stand directly behind Lucy so no one would stumble over her as they disembarked from the ferry. He knew the feeling far too well, after all.

“Okay, I'm good,” Lucy said a moment later as she climbed to her feet and dusted herself off after her intimate moment with terra firma.

“You sure? You got a little something from the street still...” Natsu said with a laugh, pointing to her dirt smudged cheek and grinning.

Lucy grimaced and wiped at her face with the sleeve of her borrowed jacket, only to miss half of it “Better?”

“No,” Natsu snorted before licking his thumb and then swiping it across her cheek to clear away the last of the dust “There, now you are.”

“Ew, don't wipe your spit on me,” Lucy objected lamely, hiding her blush with another swipe of her sleeve.

Grinning wickedly, Natsu stuck out his tongue and leaned in close “'Ike dis?” he said as he loomed over her.

“Licking is even worse!” Lucy objected with a startled laugh as she jumped away from him “Don't be gross!”

“I don't see how it's gross. Using your tongue's a perfectly reasonable way to get clean,” Happy interjected, though he was clearly entertained by the way Lucy dodged here and there in an attempt to escape Natsu.

“'Eah! Ahnt ah baff, Looshi?” Natsu jeered as he tried to chase her around a light pole.

At his words, the woman turned a violent shade of crimson and froze in place, allowing Natsu to dodge around the obstacle and close in on her.

“P-pervert!” she shouted, then slapped her friend full across the face, just as he was about to grab her.

Unfortunately, in her embarrassment, she completely forgot her new strength, resulting in Natsu being sent flying over the crowd at high speed.

“Lucy! You have to be gentle with him now!” Happy cried, horrified, but unable to deny the hilarity of the situation once he flew over and found his friend sprawled in some bushes several yards away, unharmed.

“Is he okay?!” Lucy cried, running over to the boys, panicky at the thought of having done her friend serious damage “Oh Natsu I'm so sorry! I'm not used to being so strong,” she apologized anxiously.

She was able to heave a sigh of relief when Natsu stirred and then struggled into a seated position “Okay, so licking Lucy is no go then,” he said as he rubbed the side of his face, which was now bright red. He was about to comment that his joke had hardly warranted a slap, however strong she might be, when he looked up into her face as saw how embarrassed the words seemed to make her feel. Her face was even more red than his was, what was up with...

The mental image of him licking Lucy all over, the same way Happy did his fur in lieu of a bath, suddenly flashed through his mind's eye, and understanding dawned on him. The epiphany caused all the blood in his body to fight between rushing straight to his face, or directly south of his belt.

“Sorry, that was my fault,” Natsu immediately said, waving off her apology emphatically, suddenly feeling rather panicky himself. Holy hell, no wonder she had slapped him! He really was a pervert for suggesting he lick her like a cat. Just imagine running his tongue along her jaw, then down her throat before continuing on to...

“YEAH OKAY SO HOW ABOUT THAT GUILD THEN?!” Natsu said way too loudly with a manic laugh. He rolled hurriedly out of the bush he had landed in and started off down the road at a run without waiting for the others to catch up.

Lucy and Happy watched him go for a moment before the blonde asked “Um, you don't think I caused any brain damage, do you?”

Happy considered for a moment, before a wicked smile crossed his furry face “Nah, I'm sure he's fine. His brain is the last thing he's worried about right now, I think.”

“Huh?”

“Never mind, Lucy,” Happy said brightly and flew off after their partner “Come on, I'm hungry! Lets go back to the guild and get some fish!”

“Is fish all you ever think about?” Lucy asked with a laugh as she started off after her boys at a trot to close the gap between her and Natsu.

“No, I think about Carla too,” the exceed admitted dreamily.

“Aha,” Lucy said with a knowing smile as she jogged alongside her friend, Natsu still some ways ahead of them in his hurry “Bet you're hoping she and Wendy haven't gone back to the dorms yet, huh?”

Happy nodded cheerfully, totally unabashed by his obvious affection for the other exceed as he turned his eyes skyward to judge the time. The sun was pretty low on the horizon, but it wasn't dark yet, so there was a chance that Carla and her partner would still be at the guild, if they weren't out on a job.

Sometimes Lucy worried for her feline friend. Carla could be so cold to him that it made it easy to believe she really had no genuine affection for him. Still, there were those moments when she'd say something to Happy, or look at him a certain way that made it obvious she wasn't quite so indifferent as she acted most of the time. It was these moments that kept Happy going, and, if she was being frank, it was these moments that Lucy thought were the most unfair of Carla.

Honestly, if she wanted the blue exceed, then she should say as much! Or at least act more kindly to him, just for a start. If not, then she should make the cut clean and stop leaving her poor friend hanging, waiting for a day that would never come...

Lucy couldn't help but think that maybe if Carla had a little female competition for Happy's affection that she'd be kinder to him. As it was, there weren't even any other female exceeds in town, let alone in the guild, to give her a run for her proverbial money. Happy worshiped the ground she walked on and she could hardly give him the time of day sometimes!

Lost in thoughts of one friend's love-life, Lucy nearly walked headlong into the other. As it was, she just barely avoided it, looking up at Natsu in surprise. Whatever it was he had been freaking out about back at the port had apparently worked its way out of his system, as he seemed at ease leaning against the guild's main gate.

“About time,” he teased.

“Don't you dare! What have I told you about running everywhere!” she complained. Granted, it was much easier to keep up with him now, but that didn't mean that she wanted to run everywhere. A girl had to keep up appearances, after all.

Natsu snickered, and Lucy rolled her eyes in response before turning her attention to the doors of the guild, suddenly hesitant to go inside. Seeing as Natsu hadn't held a grudge over her spontaneously acquiring his magic, she didn't think that anyone else in the guild would either...but she still dreaded the hubbub that this was bound to cause among her friends and guild mates. And what about her spirits? With her sudden change in magic, were they okay? For now, all she could was hope, as she had no way of finding out herself.

“Something wrong?” Natsu asked, noting the frown on his partner's face.

“No,” Lucy replied, sighing “Might as well get this over with,” she added with a tight smile as she tried to push her worries aside for the time being.

Natsu nodded, absently rubbing his shoulder where Bran had caught him with his club earlier that day. He'd gotten it bandaged before boarding the ferry, but the addition definitely made it look like he was wearing a shirt made completely out of bandages now. Plus, his wounds were aching, which was something he wasn't used to experiencing. One nice thing about his magic was that it came with fast healing, but that skill appeared to have left him as well. The dull, throbbing pain in his chest and shoulder was enough to put him on edge, but he carefully kept it under wraps. He knew Lucy felt guilty enough as it was, but it would be far worse if she realized how much pain he was still in.

“Lets go,” he said, grinning at his partners “I'm starved! I wonder what Mirajane's got on the menu today?”

Lucy smiled and fell into step with her partner while Happy flew ahead eagerly.

“Good question, I'm pretty hungry, now that you mention it,” the blonde said truthfully as they reached the doors.

“Yeah, that's what happens when you puke up everything you've eaten for the last two days,” Natsu joked as he shoved the doors open.

“Ugh, don't remind me,” she grumbled, making a face at the memory of her time on the ferry. Worst traveling experience ever, and she'd had Natsu puke on her before.

“You're back!” Wendy called excitedly as the trio entered and let the doors swing shut behind them.

“Yo!” Natsu called in greeting, giving his fellow dragon slayer a smile and a flippant salute in greeting.

“Hi Wendy! Is Carla with you?” Happy asked in the least subtle attempt to find out where his crush was ever.

“She's up at the bar,” the blue haired girl said with a knowing smile, pointing him off in the right direction before turning her attention back to Natsu and Lucy “Oh, what happened? Are you okay?” Wendy asked, an expression of horror crossing her features as she noticed their appearances.

“The job not go as easy as expected?” Erza asked, arching her brown in surprise as she took in all of Natsu's bandages. She, Wendy, and Gajeel were all seated at the same table, apparently conversing about something before their friends had entered.

“You look like shit. Something chew you up and spit you out?” Gajeel chimed in “Or is that just a really bad attempt at fashion?” he added, crimson eyes roving over Natu's heavily bandaged torso.

“Eh, it wasn't that bad,” Natsu said casually, approaching the table and flopping down carelessly onto the bench next to Erza. Lucy wanted so smack him for his casual tone, but managed to resist the temptation.

“Why are you wearing Natsu's jacket, Lucy?” Wendy asked curiously as she took the seat next to her, across from Natsu.

“Oh, well, somehow every shirt I packed managed to get ruined,” Lucy answered truthfully with a pained sigh as she shrugged out of her backpack and let it drop to the floor behind her. One was dirty and torn from her run through the ruins and subsequent drowning, another was cut in half and stained with Natsu's blood, and now her last one (plus one of her favorite bras!) was a charred mess.

Though she didn't notice, Gajeel sniffed as she dropped her bag, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully from where he sat on the opposite side of the sky dragon slayer.

“Oh that's terrible!” Wendy said sympathetically to her blonde friend. She wasn't so fashion oriented as the celestial mage was, but that didn't mean she couldn't sympathize. If nothing else, running out of shirts on a mission was certainly inconvenient.

“I was planning on going shopping tomorrow, would you like to come with me?” Erza offered solicitously as she took a sip from the mug she had been cradling in her hands.

“Only if you promise that we can go to clothing stores, too, not just armor shops,” Lucy said with a laugh.

Erza smiled in return “I suppose that could be arranged. Though if you're going through so many shirts on a mission, maybe you should invest in some armor anyways.”

Lucy grimaced, but laughed “You have a point,” she acquiesced as Mirajane paused by their table.

“I thought I saw Happy up at the bar!” the silver haired mage said with a warm smile for Natsu and Lucy “You guys want something to eat?”

“Yeeeeeees!” Natsu groaned pitifully as he sagged against the table.

“If it's no trouble, Mira,” Lucy added with an exasperated smile “Just whatever you've already got on the fire.”

“Alright, coming right up,” Mirajane said with a chuckle, well accustomed to Natsu's antics when the dragon slayer was hungry. She patted the rose haired mage on the head and then headed back towards the kitchens.

“Oi, Natsu!”

“What?” Natsu said, straightening and looking around to see who had called him as Gray sauntered over to the table.

“Where the hell have you been? Figured you'd be back hours ago,” the ice mage commented as he leaned against the table next to them.

“What's that supposed to mean,” the dragon slayer asked, eyes narrowing slightly at his friend's tone.

Lucy dropped her face into her hands. Stupid boys. She knew they were rivals, in a friendly sense of the word, but didn't they ever get tired over fighting for no good reason? It was like they existed purely to press one another's buttons.

“Guys, come on. We just got back,” she complained “We haven't even eaten yet!”

“Eh, just let them go at it, blondie,” Gajeel said with an unconcerned snort, feigning disinterest as he watched the exchange from the corner of his eye.

“A good, friendly rivalry is just what one needs to keep one's skills sharp,” Erza agreed.

“Natsu is injured, though, can't it wait?” Wendy asked hesitantly, and Lucy cast her a grateful look for apparently being the only other sane person at the table.

Meanwhile, neither of the boys seemed to have been paying them the least bit of attention.

“What's it mean? Oh, just that I think you might be getting a little rusty is all,” Gray sneered “Took an extra half a day for you to get back and you're all beat to hell? Sounds to me like you're getting slow, Natsu!”

“Shut up,” Natsu snapped, lunging to his feet and slamming his hands down on the table before him. No one else noticed, but Lucy had been watching her partner closely, so she caught the tell-tale tightness in his shoulders that belied the fact that he was in no condition to fight. Not now, not with those injuries.

“You guys, cut it out, seriously,” Lucy said loudly to cut through the boy's argument as she got to her feet and placed her hands firmly on her hips, glaring at them both.

Natsu turned to look at her, expression unreadable, and the girl wasn't sure if he was hoping she'd back down, or give him an excuse to do so without losing face.

Gray blinked at her in surprise. She often complained about their fights, but it had been a long time since she had actually tried to interfere. Generally she just stayed out of the way and let them go at it.

“Don't worry, Lucy, I won't break him,” the ice mage said with a grin, before adding “Much.”

“You couldn't break me on your best day,” the dragon slayer scoffed dismissively, grinning wickedly at his rival.

Seriously? What the hell did he think he was playing at, egging Gray on when he was in such rough shape? Sure, the ice mage wasn't as physically strong as Natsu, but he was still more than strong enough to hold his own against the dragon slayer, thanks to his magic. A physical fight between the two now would be frighteningly one sided. While she knew Gray would never fight his friend if he realized just what rough shape he was in, Natsu certainly wasn't admitting it. No doubt Gray would stop once it became obvious, but that didn't mean he might not accidentally do some serious damage against his weakened friend first.

“Bullshit I couldn't!” Gray countered, slamming fist against palm as he said “Ice make-”

“I said cut it out!” Lucy shouted, finally snapping as she lunged around the table and slammed her fist into the ice mage's jaw. Honestly, she hadn't meant to react quite that violently, but her worry for Natsu had overwhelmed her better judgment in that crucial moment.

Her attack took Gray completely off guard, though he might have dodged had he anticipated just how hard she was going to hit him. As it was, though, the ice mage went tumbling head over heel across the hall, not coming to a stop until he slammed into the bar.

“Aw, come on, Lucy,” Natsu complained, rubbing the back of his head in disappointment as he watched Gray come to a stop “You could have let me hit him at least once.”

Well, so much for trying to ease everyone into the news. Not only were Erza, Gajeel, and Wendy staring at her, but so was everyone else in the hall.

The former celestial mage groaned to herself and dropped back into her seat, head buried in her hands so she could attempt to ignore all the incredulous looks she was getting from her guild mates.

“What, a girl can't punch a guy out without getting stared at?” Natsu demanded loudly of the room, as though the fact that it was Lucy punching out Gray wasn't anything worth mentioning.

The dragon slayer pushed away from the table and sauntered over to where the ice mage sat, completely dazed against the base of the bar “You should have seen your face,” Natsu needled his friend, grinning as he offered him a hand up.

“What the fuck, man,” Gray muttered, shaking his head sharply in an attempt to clear it before squinting up at Natsu “Dude, are you sure that's Lucy and not just someone wearing her face? Since when can she hit like that?” he asked before taking the dragon slayer's hand and allowing himself to be tugged to his feet.

“Positive. And pretty much since this morning.” Natsu told his friend with a grin as he slung an arm companionably around his shoulder and dragged the ice mage back to the table where Lucy still had her face cradled in her hands, their friends regarding her with a mixture of fear, awe, and confusion.

Well, except for Gajeel.

As Gray pulled up a chair, Gajeel leaned one elbow casually on the table, chin in hand as he asked “So, blondie, how long have you had Natsu's magic?”

The woman in question jolted in surprise, jerking upright again to look at the iron dragon slayer “What? How did you-”

The dark haired man tapped his nose, expression bored, though his crimson eyes were full of curiosity “I could tell the moment you sat down. Neither of you smell right.”

“Eh? Seriously?!” Wendy exclaimed in surprise, leaning in to sniff at Lucy experimentally. Her nose had never been as keen as the male dragon slayers', though. Perhaps because it was never something she had practiced growing up. Closing her eyes and concentrating as she sniffed her blonde friend, the girl hummed and hawed for a moment before saying “Say, you do smell kinda different,” her eyes wide with surprise.

“Wait, so Lucy's a dragon slayer now? Are you kidding me?” Gray asked, tone disbelieving until he raised one hand to his jaw, wincing when his fingers brushed against the bruise blossoming there “Well, you do punch like Natsu all of a sudden...”

“How on Earthland did this happen?” Erza asked, clearly as surprised as everyone else as she put her mug down and gave both of her younger friends a look that demanded answers ASAP.

Lucy glanced uncertainly at Natsu where he still sat opposite her. The man just grinned, and she took that to be his permission to relate the story of their quest gone awry.

At first her words were stilted, and her tone unsure, but years of story writing came to Lucy's rescue as she relaxed into the telling. Details flowed eloquently, weaving a larger narrative that successfully captured her audience, leaving them listening to her with rapt attention.

She glossed over the fact that she had drowned, as well as she and her friend's argument shortly after they had reunited. She could tell Natsu noticed when a small frown tugged at the uncharacteristically thoughtful expression he'd been wearing since her story started. He didn't say anything, though, catching the pleading look in her gaze when their eyes met. He stared at her steadily for a moment, then pointedly looked down at the table, suddenly seeming to find the tightly woven wood grain beneath his hands fascinating.

Lucy ended the tale with her confessing to inheriting Natsu's issues with travel, and then fell silent, her hands folded neatly in her lap as she waited for her friend's reactions.

“But, wait...what gave you Natsu's powers?” Wendy asked, clearly confused as she looked around the table at the rest of the audience to see if she was the only one in the dark.

She soon found that she wasn't when Gajeel spoke up “Yeah, I don't get it.”

There was a general assent, during which Lucy realized that Gray, Wendy, Erza, and Gajeel had not been their only audience. Several others had gathered around without her noticing as she related the tale.

The blonde raised her hands and shrugged helplessly “I honestly have no idea,” she admitted fretfully “We're hoping the Master will be able to tell us.”

Seemingly as one, the entire crowd turned their eyes to Natsu. He blinked at the unexpected attention “I don't know what the hell you're all looking at me for. If Lucy hasn't figured it out, what makes you think I have?” he drawled and leaned against the table top, glancing up at Lucy from the corner of his eye.

She smiled at him, grateful for his vote of confidence. When he quickly averted his gaze from hers and refused to meet it again, though, she knew she was in for trouble later, even if he was willing to remain quiet for the time being.

“Could it have been that strange monster, perhaps?” Erza suggested thoughtfully “It was able to completely rob both of you of your magic; perhaps this is a side effect?”

“Maybe,” Lucy said uncertainly “Though Natsu was able to use his magic after leaving the ruins,” she pointed out “I guess it could have had a delayed reaction though.”

“Maybe it was that glowing rock you guys had to fetch for your client?” Gray hazarded, taking his turn at making a guess.

A thoughtful look crossed Lucy's features as she admitted “I guess that's always a possibility. The guy wouldn't tell us exactly what sort of power it had, but he did obviously know.”

“Nah, couldn't be,” Gajeel scoffed “It didn't do anything to Happy, right?”

“Gajeel's right. From what you said, it sounds like he had a lot more contact with it than Natsu did, almost as much as you, Lucy, and yet he's obviously fine,” Erza remarked, glancing back over her shoulder at where Happy was doting on Carla at the bar, clearly his usual cheerful self.

The entire crowd heaved a unified sigh of disappointment when that theory went down the drain. At some point during the story telling, and subsequent discussion, Mirajane had returned from the kitchen. She'd clearly become distracted, though, as she only just then put their bowls before them, and smiled reassuringly.

“Don't worry, you two. Master will be back in a day or two, and then we'll get you all sorted out, right as rain,” she said, brimming with confidence before looking around at the massed crowd of fairy tail wizards and saying “In the mean time, you lot go about your business and let them eat, already. They've had a long two days, and we're not solving this puzzle tonight,” in a firm tone that brooked no argument.

There was some grumbling as the crowd dispersed, but no one seemed willing to tangle with the lovely S-class mage over it, and before long, the only ones that remained were those that had been there in the first place.

“So, where is the Master anyways?” Lucy asked as she took up her spoon and dug into the bowl of hearty stew that Mirajane had placed before her. Natsu had already started on his with his usual single-mindedness, though she could tell he was still listening. The blonde felt an unusual desire to inhale her food as he usually did, but practiced some self control and resisted the urge. She wasn't a savage, and her food certainly wasn't going anywhere.

“Off on some council business, I'm afraid,” Mira said, a furrow appearing between her brows as she recalled the dark expression on the old wizard's face when he'd read the summons that had been delivered earlier that day. Whatever it was must have been very important indeed, as he had left almost immediately, rather than keeping the 'pompous blowhards' waiting like he usually preferred to.

“He didn't expect to be gone long,” she reassured them before heading back to the bar to finish cleaning up for the night.

Gajeel and Gray went their separate ways before the pair finished their meal, though not before the ice mage gave Natsu one last ribbing. He cleared off quickly, though, when Lucy glared warning at him.

“Well, it's getting late, Wendy, we'd better head back to the dorms,” Erza told the younger girl as she got to her feet, and little dragon slayer followed suit. Before they left, though, the requip mage had turned a firm eye on Natsu and Lucy and warned them “You two don't leave town until we have a chance to talk to the Master about this, understand me? Try it and I will come find you.”

“D-don't worry, we won't,” Lucy reassured Erza immediately, having no desire whatsoever to risk the red head's wrath. Besides, with the pay from this job, she could get away with not working for quite a while, so long as she budgeted carefully.

“It's no fun going on jobs if I can't blow anything up anyways,” Natsu opined as he pushed away his unfinished bowl of stew, clearly sated.

Lucy hooked the rim of the bowl with one finger and dragged it across the surface of the table towards her and finished it off without thinking, as Natsu had often done to her leftovers in the past.

“Right,” Erza mused, a hint of a smile playing across her fair features before she turned and left, Wendy trailing after once the girl had bid them both goodnight. Carla drifted out a minute later, leaving Happy to join them shortly after, yawning widely.

“You guys ready to go yet?” he asked “I'm tired!”

Lucy polished off the last of the stew in Natsu's bowl and smiling up at the exceed “I certainly am.”

“Yeah, let's get out of here,” Natsu said, pushing his seat away from the table, and then leading the way out of the guild, Happy darting alongside him. As Lucy followed, a feeling of dread settled over her shoulders like a heavy mantle.

The sun had set while they were indoors, and the night air was stirred by a cool breeze as the trio walked the familiar streets towards Lucy's house by the canal.

Happy's time with Carla had apparently gone well, leaving the feline in such a good mood that he was completely oblivious to the heavy tension that filled the air between his human partners. Pleasantly clueless, the exceed flew some ways ahead, humming cheerfully to himself.

Natsu and Lucy walked side-by-side, though with an unusually wide margin of space between the two of them as they navigated through the quiet town. The blonde sorely wanted to close the distance between them so they could walk shoulder-to-shoulder as they usually did, but she found herself unable to work up the nerve.

It was strange, having Natsu upset with her. Usually it was the other way around, and having the tables turned left the girl a riot of emotions. Unsure of what to say, Lucy opted to say nothing at all, waiting for her friend to breach the silence first.

He never said a word, though, so when they reached the front steps of her house, Lucy finally worked up the courage to do so instead.

Her hand on the door knob, she turned and looked back at Natsu, who was watching her with dark, unreadable eyes.

“You're mad at me,” she stated simply, hating herself for sounding so pathetic, like a little girl desperate for any hint of approval from a boy at school...

Natsu frowned and opened his mouth to speak, but stopped and shut it again before he said anything. After a moment, he heaved a tremendous sigh, ran a hand through his hair, and stared down at the ground as he asked “Why didn't you tell them?” neither confirming, nor denying her suspicion.

Lucy almost asked 'tell them what', but stopped at the last second, feeling that this would be precisely the wrong thing to say in that moment. He was being candid with her, so he deserved the same in return “Because I didn't want to hurt them,” she answered quietly, hand dropping from it's resting place on the door knob before she walked back down her front steps and took a seat on the bottom one.

“They almost lost you, though, Lucy. Don't they deserve to know that?” Natsu asked, a pained expression contorting his normally cheerful face as he stood before her. Instinctively, Lucy knew that there was a double meaning to his words. He wasn't just annoyed with her for not telling their friends that she had almost died. That had simply brought back the painful thoughts from the night before when he himself had realized what happened without her telling him first.

“Natsu, them knowing wouldn't change anything,” Lucy said gently as her fingers intertwined in her lap “It wouldn't change what happened.”

“Yeah, but,” the dragon slayer objected, only to be cut off.

“But what, Natsu? You want me to hurt them all the way I hurt you?” Lucy asked sharply, looking up from her lap to meet his eyes once more. Her words had shocked him into silence, so she pressed on “Don't think I don't know that you blame yourself for what happened? I'm not blind, and I know you,” she said, voice tight as she stared him down “It's...It's absurd for you to feel that way,” she continued and watched as his jaw tightened convulsively. She recognized the reaction well enough to hurry her words out before he could interject “But I can't blame you for it either, because I would feel the same way if our roles had been reversed.”

All the fight left the rose haired mage in the quiet that followed her words, his shoulders slumping in defeat.

“I didn't tell them because I didn't want to inflict the same pain on them that I tried to keep from you,” Lucy finished quietly.

Sighing, Natsu seated himself next to her on the stairs and leaned back on his hands, his shoulder brushing hers. He was silent for a long moment before finally saying “I don't like it...but I guess I understand.”

“Thank you, Natsu,” Lucy said, breathing a sigh of relief as the tension between them disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“I won't lie to them for you, though,” He said sternly, turning to look at her as he spoke “if they figure out that something happened, and ask, I'll tell them.”

Lucy nodded “I know, I'll do the same. I couldn't lie to you,” she admitted quietly as she turned her gaze skyward in hopes of seeing the stars. Unfortunately, clouds had rolled in from the south, thick and heavy as they blanketed the sky “I won't lie to them either.”

He watched her for a moment longer, then nodded, satisfied and thoughtful in the wake of her confession. It was true. She hadn't told him what had happened unprompted, but she hadn't lied to him either, so he couldn't hold it against her. He probably wouldn't have been able to even if she had. She was one of his best friends after all.

“You want to stay?” Lucy asked, breaking the silence as thunder rumbled ominously in the distance “Looks like it's going to rain any minute now. We should probably change your bandages, too.”

Natsu tilted his head, considering the offer for a moment as he took in the cloudy sky above them. Rain didn't particularly bother him, but the thought of going back to his musty house and cold hammock when he could crash in Lucy's soft, warm bed instead definitely did not appeal.

“Yeah, alright. Left my place a mess anyways,” he said with a grin as he got to his feet and offered his friend a hand up.

Lucy rolled her eyes, but smiled and accepted his offer before turning to let them in while Natsu called for Happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we are! They finally broke the news to the guild! Wonder what the Master is up to though?  
> You guys are technically getting this a little early, though it is Saturday where I am, lol. I've got stuff to do in the morning, though, so you get it now!


	8. Domestic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! I am so sorry guys, I totally just realized that I haven't been posting this over here on AO3! I'll try to remember better from now on >__>; You guys are two whole chapters behind FF.

As the trio entered Lucy's living room, the clouds that hung over the city opened up and released a deluge the likes of which Magnolia did not often see.

Lucy went to the window after flipping on the lights, and peered out through the curtains "Wow," she murmured to herself as Happy joined her, landing on the sill so he could see as well.

"Good thing we didn't walk home, Natsu. We'd have wound up in the canal!"

"It's only water," the dragon slayer scoffed, tugging idly at his scarf as he came up behind Lucy, reaching over her to pull the curtains aside so he could get a look. He almost made a joke about no one ever drowning in the rain, but winced away from it the moment it came to mind. It was too soon for jokes like that. Not after Lucy had...

The girl in front of him turned her head to look up at him with large, brown eyes. He must have physically flinched for her to be giving him that worried look of hers.

She went to say something when the lights in her apartment went out, making her squeak in surprise instead "Hey! What the..."

"Looks like we're not the only ones," Happy observed pressing his little nose to the window so he could look up and down the street. Sure enough, where there had once been faint, golden light pouring out across the water of the canal from people's homes, there was now only darkness.

"Shoot. I wonder I put those candles?" Lucy muttered to herself, one hand brushing across Natsu's chest as she moved past him in the dark, making him shiver unexpectedly. She didn't notice, but it did make the dragon slayer wonder if maybe he was chilly enough to need to ask for his shirt back. The concept of being cold was a foreign one to him.

Though the man could barely see, he _could_ hear her stumble and bump into something, swearing quietly as she hopped on one foot somewhere over near the kitchen door.

A smile playing across his lips, Natsu asked "Lucy, what are you doing?" though he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"What do you think? I'm getting some candles. And matches," she added, and he could practically hear her grimace "I know I've got some in one of the drawers. Candles were in the cabinet I think..."

"Lucy," he repeated " _What_ are you doing?"

"I just _told_ you," came the reply from the dark, her tone well into annoyed now "We still need to change out your bandages and I can't do that if I can't see."

"Lucy's kinda dumb sometimes, huh, Natsu?" Happy teased from where he sat on the windowsill, having opted not to move so he wouldn't risk getting stepped on in the dark.

"Yeah, she really is," the dragon slayer said, feigning exasperation at his partner's expense.

"Excuse you?!" Lucy snapped "Not everyone has-" her words cut off as the realization of what they were trying to imply hit her "Oh, dammit."

Natsu and Happy both burst out laughing, though the darkness persisted as Lucy stood in silence on the other side of the room, waiting for them to finish.

"Well?" Natsu asked, waving a hand expectantly.

"I...I don't know how," she admitted, obviously embarrassed.

The dragon slayer blinked. The idea of her not knowing how to summon fire now that she had his magic was a strange. For him, it was as easy as breathing.

Okay, so maybe he shouldn't have laughed at her. After all, it wasn't as though she'd had the ability to conjure fire on a whim before this morning.

"You did it earlier when you were fighting," Happy pointed out.

"Yeah, how'd you do it then?" Natsu asked curiously.

"I dunno! It just...felt right. Like it was what I needed to do."

"Well, now _we_ need you to light the room," the exceed said, and Lucy huffed in annoyance.

"Yeah, great, that's a big help, Happy." she grumbled.

"Alright, alright, just..." Natsu paused and thought back to how he used his magic. It was never something he'd had to actively analyze before. He'd been using magic for as long as he could remember, and he'd always operated more on instinct than forethought and planning. He was going to have to change that, though, he realized abruptly, if he was going to teach Lucy how to use his powers without blowing herself (or anyone else) up.

It hadn't even occurred to him that he would have to actually instruct his friend in the ways of the dragon slayer until that moment. Hopefully Gramps would have a quick and easy way for them to set things back to rights, but what if he _didn't?_ What if they were stuck this way for the foreseeable future?

What if they were stuck like this forever?

The thought sent a shiver of horror rippling down the man's spine, and he quickly pushed the thought away. No point in thinking on that now, after all. They'd cross that bridge if they came to it.

Natsu cleared his throat and said "Alright, try just imagining a flame in the palm of your hand."

"What, that's it?" Lucy asked incredulously.

For some reason, her tone made the rose haired mage flush in embarrassment. Did she have to make his idea sound so stupid?

"Well, maybe? I don't normally have to think about it!"

The blonde sighed, but didn't respond, presumably attempting what he suggested.

"Well?" Natsu asked impatiently as the darkness remained without the hint of so much as an ember.

"It's not working," Lucy huffed, annoyed "Oh, wait..." there was a spark, then, which briefly lit up her elated features. A moment later, an inferno blazed to life, illuminating the darkness and engulfing her entire arm, making the blonde yelp.

"Dial it down!" Natsu exclaimed as his friend waved her flaming limb around in alarm.

"You're gonna burn the house down!" Happy cried, jumping onto Natsu's back so the dragon slayer was between him and their partner.

"How?! I- crap!" The shirt Lucy had still been wearing under the one Natsu had loaned her caught fire, and she patted herself down in an attempt to smother the blaze before it could spread. By the time she succeeded, the fire on her arm had died down to the point that it was focused on aroud hand. It wasn't floating above her palm the way Natsu always did it, but at this point, she'd take what she could get.

Meanwhile, Natsu and Happy were doubled over with laughter, completely oblivious of the way she was scowling at them.

"Oh shut up!" she said heatedly. Like lighting herself on fire wasn't bad enough, now she was dangerously close to hanging out of Natsu's shirt in an embarrassing way as her bra finally gave up the ghost "Ugh, where are those stupid candles," she grumbled, turning to head into the kitchen.

"W-wait!" Natsu managed to stammer out between bouts of laughter "I'll get them, just don't move. You might go up like a torch again if you're not focusing."

He circled around the table in the center of the room and moved past her into the kitchen. She was still glaring at him, but did at least seem to be willing to follow his directions for the time being.

Using the light from Lucy's still burning hand, Natsu was soon able to locate the candles his friend had been looking for in one of her cabinets. Grabbing a few, he approached the blonde and said "Alright, finger out."

She rolled her eyes, but did as instructed, poking out one still blazing finger, which Natsu used to light the candles. Once he'd lit them all and set them on the counter, he asked "Think you can put it out or should I turn on the sink?"

A brief flash of annoyance crossed Lucy's features, but quickly vanished as she took a breath and shook her head, a determined look on her face. She turned her eyes to stare at her hand, which she clenched into a tight fist. A moment later, the flames snuffed out, leaving the room darker, but still lit by the soft glow of the candles.

Natsu decided not to comment on her obviously relieved expression as he grabbed up several candles and brought them into the main room of her apartment. One went on the table, another to her desk, and the last he sat on top of her fireplace.

Turning to ask Lucy where she wanted the others, he saw her standing in the door of the kitchen with one candle in her hand, features illuminated by it's gentle glow. Brown eyes turned amber by the firelight darted thoughtfully around the room as she considered where to place it.

The realization that Lucy was beautiful hit Natsu like a ton of bricks.

It was a stupid thought to be so paralyzed by, really. It wasn't like he hadn't _known_ , after all. Lots of men stared at Lucy wherever they went, women too, now that he thought about it. She was, by all accounts, one of the guild's great beauties. Natsu knew that she had a lovely face, silky golden hair, and a great body. He'd even had a chance to see and admire that body a few times since they'd first met (which had generally earned him a smack afterwards). He wasn't blind. In an objective way, he had always known Lucy was pretty, just like he knew Erza, Mirajane, and so many other Fairy Tail girls were also pretty.

Somehow, though, it wasn't until he saw her in that moment that the fact that she was _beautiful_ was driven home through his thick skull. It wasn't just the sum of her physical attributes that made him come to that realization, though. It was in her expressive eyes, and the way she bit her lip as she thought. Most importantly, though, her beauty was in the honest tears she shed for him and their friends when they were hurt, or things were at their darkest. It was obvious in the way she wore her heart on her sleeve. Beauty had been there all along in her fiercely protective nature, and the way that she loved her friends unconditionally.

The unique warmth of spirit that was so distinctly _Lucy_ radiated from her like the light of the candle in her hand as she walked past him, and Natsu found himself drawn after her like a moth to flame. Without thinking, he reached out to her, suddenly convinced that the last day had been a dream. The dragon slayer was filled with the overwhelming fear that he would wake on that hill above the ruins to find that she had not returned. That she would never return, and the world would be as dark and lonely without her light as the night sky was without the stars.

His heart leaped in his chest when his hand brushed her arm, making her look around at him in surprise, clearly having not realized he was following her.

"Natsu, what are you-" she began before her brow furrowed in concern "Hey, are you alright? You look pale," she said worriedly as she reached up and pressed a hand to his forehead.

The dragon slayer's eyes slipped closed and he leaned into her touch, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm his pounding heart. What was wrong with him? First it was random epiphanies that his best friend was the most beautiful woman he had ever known, and now he was on the verge of a panic attack at the thought that maybe he'd just imagined her coming back to him from the ruins. Her hand was warm and soft against his brow, though, and he took that as a reassurance that he hadn't lost his mind. After all, everyone at the guild had seen her, spoken to her...he wasn't imaginative enough to come up with all that, right?

"Well, you don't feel warm, but I guess that doesn't really mean anything coming from me, considering I just literally set myself on fire a minute ago," the blonde scoffed quietly to herself as she lowered her hand and said "Let me go get the bandages and we can get you patched up, Natsu. Hopefully you're not getting an infection or something..."

The dragon slayer's eyes opened and he watched her disappear into the bathroom with her candle, having to reign himself in hard to keep from following after her like a lost puppy. Instead, he turned and went to sit on the edge of the bed.

Padding over to join him, Happy asked "You alright?" in a quiet voice as he regarded his pink haired friend thoughtfully.

"Yeah."

"You sure?"

"Positive."

"Because you were just looking at Lucy like she was the most amazing thing you've ever seen," the exceed observed cannily, making Natsu stare at him.

The dragon slayer went to object, but Lucy chose that moment to return with her first aid kit, so Natsu grabbed up one of the bed pillows and buried his furry, altogether too observant friend under it instead.

"Er, Natsu, I don't think he can breathe," Lucy said as she sat next to him on the bed, eying the boys suspiciously.

The rose haired mage released the pillow and Happy poked his head out from under it, gasping for air.

"Thank goodness you came, Lucy! He's gone mad!"

"I have _not,_ " Natsu said firmly, glaring at the exceed warningly.

"And this is news how?" Lucy said with a chuckle as she opened her kit and pulled out a pair of scissors, which she used to carefully snip the bandages at Natsu's shoulder "Hands over your head," she instructed her friend.

"I am not crazy," the dragon slayer grumbled, but did as he was told, trying to ignore the gentle pressure of Lucy's hand on his shoulder while her other one worked the scissors. Rather than cutting in one place and unwrapping the slow way, the blonde opted to cut all the way down one side to save time.

As the blunted edge of the scissors trailed down across Natsu's ribs, the man twitched and laughed compulsively, forcing Lucy to grab his arm so that he wouldn't jerk it down and end up cutting himself on her scissors.

Luckily, the blonde was now the stronger of the two, so she was able to keep an accident from happening, though she regarded with with surprised amusement "Oh my god, Natsu, are you ticklish?" she asked incredulously as she finished making the cut.

"What? No," Natsu answered quickly "Men aren't ticklish!" he insisted, sounding like an odd parody of Elfman for a moment.

"Of course, how silly of me to think otherwise," she remarked blandly as she set the scissors back in her box. Just as the man beside her relaxed, though, she reached over and lightly dragged her fingers up his side and over his ribs.

The results had her doubled over in laughter as Natsu yelped and rolled away from her so quickly that he squished Happy in the process. The rose haired mage grabbed up the pillow he'd been using to smother the exceed moments before and held it between himself and Lucy like a shield, all thoughts of her beauty driven from his mind. How could he think such an evil creature was beautiful? Maybe he _was_ going mad.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he objected loudly as Happy crawled quickly away to hide behind Lucy, complaining to himself about the abuse he dealt with daily.

"What, I thought you weren't ticklish," Lucy said in her most innocent voice, though her smile could be described only as impish as she tapped her lips with her index finger, watching him with a mischievous glint in her eyes.

"Stop that," Natsu said warily, curling in on himself in an attempt to hide as much of his person behind the pillow as possible.

"Stop what?" she asked, smiling knowingly at her friend as she rolled to her knees on the bed and faced him.

"Stop looking at me like that," he said, inching away until his back came up against the foot board.

"Like what?" Lucy asked, grinning widely now as she moved towards him on hands and knees, candlelight casting ominous shadows over her normally friendly features.

"Don't you dare!" He warned. Just as she started to lunge for him, though, Natsu played his trump card. Rather than hiding behind the pillow, he whipped it away, exposing his chest, which was still covered in half cut bandages, and pointed emphatically to it "Stitches! Dammit woman, you'll make me pull my stitches!"

Lucy managed to veer off at the last second, though her momentum continued to carry her forward so she landed with her head by his hip, her lower half sprawled across his legs.

"Coward," she teased, voice muffled by the blanket she had landed face down on. She pushed herself upright and warned "Alright, but I'm not going to forget this," with a mischievous smile.

"Yeah right," Natsu said gruffly, heart pounding a mile a minute as she rolled off of him and sat up.

"Alright, come here, lets get all that off of you," Lucy coaxed her friend, all business now. He eyed her warily for any surprise attacks, but did as he was bid after a moment's consideration.

Between the two of them, the bandages were quickly peeled away, and then discarded, along with the bloody gauze squares that had been used to cover his particularly deep wounds. He flinched more than once as Lucy removed those, making her hiss sympathetically.

A few of the deepest wounds still bled sluggishly when their coverings were disturbed, but the majority had scabbed over. His torso and shoulder looked a mess, but Lucy had seen enough nasty wounds since joining Fairy Tail that she knew he was healing well, all things considered.

Now more than ever, though, Lucy wished he had his magic back. Under normal circumstances, even wounds as bad as the ones he had sustained from the alphyn would only take a day or two to fully heal.

The blonde did her best not to focus on the memories associated with the injuries that she worked to carefully patch up, but it was impossible not to be haunted by flashes of the violence she had watched her friend suffer through.

She paused when Natsu flinched at her touch "You okay?"

"Yeah, keep going," Natsu said, though his voice was tight with pain.

Honestly, it hadn't been too bad, but as she started work on cleaning the deeper wounds, the man found it harder to ignore the pain. It was strange how sensitive he suddenly seemed to it ever since he'd lost his magic. It was like someone set his nerves on fire at the least provocation.

"I'll be more careful," Lucy assured him from where she sat behind him, cleaning one of the gashes in his shoulder.

"I'll take quick over careful if you've got it," he said with a weak laugh, attempting humor to distract himself.

"Probably not a good idea at this point," she replied, distracted by the task at hand.

A cold sweat sprang up on Natsu's forehead as she worked, but he grit his teeth and focused on taking deep breaths as she finished cleaning his wounds, and then went to work bandaging him up once more.

"Alright, arms out," she instructed, and he complied without comment "Happy, lend me a hand?" she asked, glancing back over her shoulder at the exceed, who had been watching from his perch on her desk.

"Okay," Happy said and hopped over to hold some of the gauze pads in place while she worked the actual roll of bandages.

"Is that too tight, Natsu?" she asked once she had got going, to which he shook his head, so she continued.

By the time they were done, the dragon slayer was pale, and it didn't take Lucy long to notice.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked as she stood and put her kit on the floor before reaching out to gently grab his shoulders "You're white as a sheet!"

"It just kinda hurt is all," he said, tight lipped in his confession, only admitting as much to save arguing with the blonde.

"You should have said something," she chided as she pushed him back lightly onto the bed, guiding him so his head hit the pillow.

"It wouldn't have changed anything," he grumbled.

Lucy gently brushed some hair out of his sweat dampened face and said "Yes, it would have. I could have gotten you some pain killers, idiot."

Natsu blinked up at her, having obviously not considered this option. Pain medication wasn't something he'd ever really _needed_ before, so he tended to forget that it existed.

"Oh."

Back lit as she currently was by the candles in the room, the dragon slayer could only barely make out her expression, though it was apparent it involved a heavy dose of exasperation at his expense.

"Who was it you were calling dumb earlier?" she drawled as she straightened from the bedside and headed into her bathroom before he could answer. Just out of sight in the darkness, though, he could hear Happy snicker quietly.

"Shut up," he mumbled to the exceed who padded across the bed and settled in next to him, ignoring his words.

A moment later, Lucy reappeared with a glass of water and two pills.

She crouched by the bed and said "Okay, I don't know what your tolerance is, so we'll start you out on a low dose," she told him, and passed the man the little green pills.

"What do they taste like?" Natsu asked suspiciously as he propped himself up on one elbow with a slight wince and accepted her offering.

"Taste? Natsu, you're just supposed to swallow them. No chewing" Lucy said with an exasperated sigh.

"What, whole?" he complained.

"Oh don't give me that, Natsu Dragneel. I've seen you swallow entire chicken legs without even noticing the bones," she countered with a roll of her eyes "Use the water to help wash them down, most people find that makes it easier," she instructed as she got to her feet again and went to leave.

"Where are you going?" he asked with a frown, twisting to follow her progress across the room. He regretted it almost immediately, though, as the motion tugged at his stitches.

"I'm just going to take a bath and change. I'll be back in a minute," she said, a gentle smile on her face as she glanced back at her friend before going to do just that.

When he heard the bathroom door close, and the water kick on, Natsu turned his attention back to the pills in his hand. He considered not taking them, but the aches and pains he'd been able to ignore by keeping busy were coming back with a vengeance as he finally settled down for the night. He'd probably earn no end of mocking from Elfman, Gajeel, and Gray for actually taking painkillers, but the painful throbbing in his arms and torso were enough to make him willing to risk the teasing of his peers.

It's not like they'd know. Lucy and Happy wouldn't say anything, and _he_ certainly wasn't going to admit to it...

With a shrug, Natsu tossed the pills in his mouth, grimacing at the bitter taste they left on his tongue when he let them sit for too long. He took a swig of water from the glass Lucy had given him and washed them down. He took a second sip to rid himself of the taste, then reached over his head to put the cup on the table behind the head of the bed.

Though he had intended to stay up until Lucy returned from her bath, Natsu's exhaustion caught up with him as he lay there in the dark, watching the candlelight flicker across the ceiling. Nestled in the crook of his arm, Happy snored quietly as the dragon slayer was lulled to sleep by the rhythm of the rain pattering on the roof.

* * *

Natsu was slow to wake the next morning, struggling to consciousness as though he were swimming through molasses.

There was the quiet rustle of paper somewhere nearby, and the heady scent of coffee filled his nose as he took a deep breath, eyes fighting to open. Bright light blinded him, and he shut them again tightly, turning his head and burying his face in the pillow as he groaned quietly. Fingers clutched at the blanket and dragged it up over his head in protest.

Relieved by the return of darkness, Natsu nearly fell back asleep. He would have, were it not for the strange, though pleasant smell that encompassed him as he hid beneath the blankets. This was not the smell of his musty house, nor was this his hammock. This was a warm, soft bed that smelled pleasantly floral with just a hint of that indefinably sweet scent that was uniquely Lucy's...

"Natsu, are you awake?"

Lucy's concerned words thrummed across Natsu's nerves like a bow across the strings of a violin, startling him fully into waking, memories returning full force.

"I made breakfast, if you're hungry."

The dragon slayer pulled the blanket down from over his head and blinked blearily against the light until his eyes finally cooperated and focused on the room. Lucy was seated at the table, an amused smile on her face as she watched him, a book open before her. Her long golden hair had been pulled up into a ponytail, and she was dressed casually in a tank top and shorts, feet bare on the carpet.

Natsu rubbed fitfully at his eyes, a jaw cracking yawn escaping him before he managed to ask "What time is it?"

"Almost eleven," Lucy replied after casting a brief glance up at the clock on her wall.

"Seriously?" he asked, slowly pushing himself upright, confusion writ clear on his features as he looked around "Where's Happy?"

"Oh, he went ahead to the guild about an hour ago," the woman answered as she took a sip of coffee from the mug she had cradled in her hands "He tried to wake you, but I think you had even less tolerance for pain killers than I realized. Seems like they really knocked you out."

Natsu grunted wordlessly, but glanced suspiciously over at Lucy when she giggled "What?" he asked, voice rough from sleep, hair mashed flat on one side of his head, and sticking up comically on the other.

"It's just, you're..." Lucy bit back the words that wanted to escape her and shook her head, trying to hide her smile behind her coffee mug. She _wanted_ to say that he looked adorable when he was just waking up. It was something she had never really noticed before, seeing as he always woke before her, normally. She'd gotten a hint of it when he'd fallen asleep on the train the other day, but this was on a whole different level.

"Your hair's a mess," she said instead before turning her attention back to her book. She didn't get any reading done at all, though. Instead, she watched Natsu out of the corner of her eye as he ran one hand through his rose colored hair to feel just how messy it was.

A moment later, the dragon slayer kicked his way free of Lucy's blankets and got carefully to his feet. He stretched experimentally, motions slow and careful. Though the pills had apparently made him sleep far later than was his norm, they did seem to have helped him relax enough for his body to get some serious healing done.

As he went through his routine, Lucy got up from her chair and disappeared into the kitchen. Just as he finished, she returned with a plate of pancakes, a bottle of syrup, and glass of milk, which she placed on the table opposite where she had been seated.

"I knew you must really need the sleep when you didn't even twitch an eyelid at the smell of food while I was cooking," Lucy observed as she settled herself back into her chair, folding one leg up under her as she leaned against the table and sipped her coffee.

"Yeah, guess so," Natsu mused as he straddled the chair opposite her and regarded the food thoughtfully, though did not eat.

"Something wrong? It's not like you to not stuff your face at the slightest provocation," Lucy teased to hide her genuine concern when she glanced up from her book and noticed that he hadn't touched his food.

"I didn't know you could cook pancakes," Natsu said as he took up his fork and poked them experimentally. They certainly _seemed_ like normal pancakes. Fluffy, golden brown, and in sufficient quantity to satisfy the roiling emptiness in his gut that demanded to be filled. Stew the night before felt like a very long time ago indeed.

"It's not like it's hard," Lucy said, arching a brow at her friend, debating on whether or not to take offense at his words "Happy seemed to like them well enough," she pointed out "If you really don't trust my cooking, though, I'm sure Mira could make you something at the guild," Lucy added, attempting nonchalance, but failing as hurt colored her words. It wasn't as though she were _Juvia_ or something. The poor water mage couldn't cook to save her (or anyone else's) life. Lucy was no chef, but she could certainly manage pancakes for goodness sake.

The dragon slayer knew her well enough to recognize that tone. When she used it, she didn't get _mad,_ per say, but she was definitely unhappy until something else came along to cheer her up.

Making up his mind, Natsu grabbed the bottle of syrup and doused the pancakes on his plate with the sticky-sweet liquid before cutting into them with his fork. He examined the portion critically for a moment, his charcoal eyes glancing at Lucy and then back to the pancakes again before finally inserting them into his mouth and chewing.

Against her better judgment, the blonde watched him closely for any hint of disappointment. Much to her relief, though, Natsu blinked in surprise before swallowing and saying "Hey, these are really good!"

Smiling, unable to get annoyed with the man for his surprise, Lucy remarked "Oh ye of little faith," as she settled back into her chair and turned her eyes to her book while Natsu tucked into his food in earnest.

Quiet settled over the pair as Natsu ate, and Lucy drank her coffee while she read. The lack of conversation wasn't awkward, to her pleasant surprise. Rather, it was...peaceful, and strangely domestic. Domestic wasn't something that either of them really did these days, but Lucy couldn't help but think that it made for a nice change of pace.

Her mind drifting from the contents of her book, the blonde wondered what it would be like to wake up next to Natsu like she had this morning, _every_ morning. Though their sleeping arrangement was always strictly platonic whenever her best friend passed out in her bed (something that happened far more often then she'd ever admit to the rest of their friends in the guild), this morning wasn't the first time she'd relished the way his body folded protectively around hers while they slept. The warmth of his chest at her back, the tops of his thighs pressed to the backs of hers, and the way her feet rested on top of his was immensely comforting to her.

This morning, when she'd first woken, he'd slipped his arm around her waist in his sleep and pulled her in more closely before she'd had a chance to pull away. She knew Natsu never meant anything romantic by it. After all, it only ever happened in his sleep, she didn't think he even knew that he did it...and they were best friends. A friend wouldn't wish that Natsu would want to hold her so close even on waking. A friend shouldn't wish that he might press a gentle kiss into the crook of her neck to wake her up come morning...

"Earthland to Lucy!" Natsu called, waving a hand in front of his unresponsive friend's face in an attempt to get her attention after calling her name multiple times hadn't done the trick.

The girl jolted and flushed in embarrassment, as though worried she had been caught doing something questionable "W-what?"

"I was asking if you had any more milk," Natsu said, raising a brow at her "You okay? You're pretty red."

"No I'm not!" she objected, clapping her hands to her cheeks and shaking her head emphatically "It's just...must be all the coffee I had waiting for you to wake up," she lied as she pushed her chair back from the table and headed for the bathroom.

"There should be some milk left in the fridge, you can finish it off if you want," she told him on her way out in hopes of distracting him "I'm going to get ready and then we can go."

The dragon slayer watched her hurry away as he polished off the last of his breakfast, wondering what she could possibly have been thinking about to have distracted her so thoroughly. Shrugging, Natsu picked up his plate and cup and carried them back into the kitchen. He placed them in the sink and ran water over them like Lucy always insisted, then turned to the fridge and found the milk his friend had mentioned.

* * *

While Lucy managed to get ready more quickly than usual, it was still well over an hour before they made it to the guild. First she had insisted that Natsu wash his hair so that it wouldn't look quite _so_ ridiculous, and then they had gone back to his and Happy's house so he could change his clothes. His tattered top from their mission to the ruins had wound up forgotten in Lucy's dirty clothes hamper before they set out, but he figured she could simply throw it away later.

While Lucy waited outside, Natsu rummaged through his trunk for something else to wear now that his latest top was ruined. Finding that he still had several of his old vests that were in decent shape, along with his usual pants and faulds, the dragon slayer pulled out one of each.

As he went to close the lid of the trunk, though, a flash of color caught his eye from among the sea of black and white fabric. Unsure of what it was, Natsu frowned, fished it out, and held it before him. After getting a good look at the article of clothing, though, the man found himself smiling, surprised by the find. He'd completely forgotten he even owned this...

Outside, Lucy was growing impatient. It wasn't like her friend to take so long getting ready, especially considering how often he made fun of her for the same.

"Natsu, are you ready yet?" she called, just as the door swung open and the dragon slayer stepped out.

"Yeah, yeah, let's go already," Natsu said as he looped his scarf around his neck and grinned at her.

Lucy's eyes took in his clothes, and widened in recognition "Natsu, that coat," she said, reaching out with one hand to brush along a crimson sleeve, fingers drifting over white detailing "It's the one you were wearing it when we first met," she recalled, smiling brightly at the memory.

"Yeah, I'd forgotten I even had it," the dragon slayer mused as he plucked absently at one white cuff "It was buried in the bottom of one of my trunks."

A laugh escaped the woman as she let her hand drop away from his arm and she said "You walked right into that crowd and broke the love charm that stupid fake salamander had placed me under," she mused "Those girls were so mad at you!"

"Oh yeah, they threw me in the garbage!" Natsu recalled, laughing "We practically destroyed half the town that night."

"We!" Lucy objected, slapping his arm and laughing "Please, that was all you!"

"Nuh-uh," he countered, poking her in the shoulder "You had Aquarius drive the boat back to shore and totally destroyed the entire port!"

The girl groaned, but was not able to hold back the smile at the memory "Yeah, I guess it kind of _was_ both of us, huh?"

"That was the moment I knew you'd be perfect for Fairy Tail," Natsu admitted, smiling warmly down at her.

"What, when I helped you wreck some unsuspecting town?"

"Pretty much," he said, smile turning into a grin as he turned and started walking back they way they had come.

Lucy fell into step behind him, smiling softly to herself as she remembered that day. Had it really only been a little over a year since then? Most days it felt as though she'd _always_ been with Natsu and Fairy Tail. They were her family, and though she loved her mother and father, the best days of her life had been spent with her fellow mages. Some of her darkest ones, too, but together they had pulled through and won the day, time and time again.

"I'm glad you found me, Natsu," she said suddenly, making him look down at her in surprise before smiling at her again.

"You were destined for Fairy Tail, Lucy. Even if I hadn't found you that day, you'd have come to us eventually," he said confidently, though his heart was warmed by her words.

"Probably," Lucy admitted. Joining Fairy Tail _had_ been her goal, after all. It was towards that end that she'd even spoken to that purple haired idiot in Hargeon in the first place "But even so, I'm glad it was you. I wouldn't change a thing."

"Even almost getting sold into slavery?" Natsu asked teasingly, recalling the false Salamander's plan in an attempt to ignore the way his heart fluttered just behind his breast bone.

"Yes, even that," his friend said with a laugh.

* * *

It was well after noon by the time they finally reached the guild.

The walk back had taken much longer than anticipated, the pair's pace having slowed to a leisurely stroll as they ventured down memory lane together in the wake of reminiscing about the day they had met. Having spent the better part of an hour recalling some of their best times together, both mages were in a good mood when they entered the front doors of the guild.

" _There_ you are! I was about to send Happy out looking for you, _"_ Mirajane said as she hurried over to meet them

"Something wrong, Mira?" Lucy asked, her sunny smile fading in the face of the concern on the older woman's face.

"Well," the S-class mage began, hesitating as her eyes flickered over to where Erza was looming over someone seated at a corner table.

"Well what?" Natsu asked, arching a brow at the woman before turning to look at the red head as well "Someone piss off Erza?"

"Not exactly," Mirajane said with a sigh "There's someone here to see you, actually."

"Who?" Lucy asked, blinking in surprise.

Natsu didn't wait for the silver haired mage to answer, though, simply walked over to the table the requip mage was looming ominously over to find out for himself. Lucy hurried after, nearly bumping into Natsu when he came to an abrupt stop a second later.

"Hey, watch it!" Lucy chided him, stepping around the man to see what it was that had made him stop so suddenly. When she realized who it was sitting at the table, though, she understood.

"Mr. Hawkes! What are you doing here?" she asked, surprised and confused by the large man's inexplicable presence in their guild.

"Hello Miss Lucy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, so I don't know if you noticed yet, but domestic Lucy/Natsu scenes are kinda a weakness of mine. I just love them so much, haha! Probably because we don't get a lot of them in the actual series ;_;
> 
> Also, I'm pretty sure that Natsu does wear his red coat again at some point in the show, but I can't remember when, so we're going to pretend that's not the case for the sake of fluff X'D
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! They help keep my inspiration going so I can keep writing chapters for you all!


	9. Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, so sorry to you guys for the delayed update over here. I posted chapters 8 and 9 quite late at night and then promptly forgot to post them here as well >___>;
> 
> Here we are at chapter nine, where we get at least one more question answered!  
> Thanks so much to everyone that has reviewed so far, you are AWESOME and I love you FOREVER. Also, hey, this is the longest chapter yet! That seems to be a growing trend...  
> That said, enjoy! Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed. They are the much needed fuel for my muse!

An awkward moment of silence descended over the four people gathered around the table as Natsu glared at Johnathan, Lucy tried to think of why he might be there, and Erza carefully studied all of their faces.

"So, this is the client from your last job?" the requip mage asked sternly as she glanced from the bulky man to her friends, and back again.

"Uh yes, yes it is," Lucy answered when Natsu refused to. He seemed to be intent on burning twin holes through the man's forehead with the weight of his gaze alone "How may we help you, Mr. Hawkes?"

"He seems to be convinced that we owe him a refund of your reward money," Erza said grimly, making both Lucy and Natsu look at her in surprise.

"Like hell! We almost died for that stupid rock of yours," Natsu snarled dangerously, taking Erza off guard with the vehemence of his answer.

"And why do you think that, sir?" Lucy asked hurriedly, placing one hand on Natsu's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. It seemed to have little effect, though. She supposed all she could be grateful for was that she was the one in charge of the dragon slayer's magic for the time being. Had things been as normal, the blonde wasn't entirely convinced that Natsu wouldn't have tried to charbroil Johnathan "We did as we were asked, at considerable risk, I might add."

"That is all well and good," the scholar said with a frown as he reached into a bag resting on the floor at his feet, and pulled out the familiar artifact "But I did not ask for you to _use_ it before giving it to me!" he accused, and set the star down on the table before him.

"Oh, it's so pretty," Erza murmured, clearly distracted by the glittering stone as she leaned in for a closer look.

"Used it?" Lucy asked, confused "You never even told us what it does, how could we use it?"

"We went in, found it, fought off the monster, and then went straight back to town," Natsu said tersely, arms crossed over his chest as he glared down at the man "There was no _using_ of anything in there anywhere. We went to the hospital before Lucy brought it to you, we didn't stop to do some spell."

"What does it even do?" Erza asked curiously while Johnathan and Natsu glared at one another. The scholar seemed reluctant to answer, though, so the red head continued "Mr. Hawkes, Fairy Tail takes their client's requests very seriously, and if you were not satisfied with the job Lucy, Natsu, and Happy performed, then of course we will look into the matter," in her most professional tone "But we can't help you if you won't even tell us what it is this artifact of yours is _meant_ to do, but no longer does."

Johnathan tore his gaze from Natsu's and regarded his hands, clenched before him on the table, for a moment. Finally, he sighed, and said "It's meant to grant wishes," in a quiet voice "It took me a very long time to find the place where it was hidden. I traveled all over the world in my search for it. Eventually, I was led to that town, and I settled there while waiting for someone to succeed at fulfilling my request to retrieve it."

The man rubbed his temples, as though attempting to stave off a headache before continuing "Legend says that this item wasn't created at all, rather, it fell from the heavens some time during the fifth age, and was eventually moved to those ruins, which were once considered a very holy place."

"Wait, so it's...a real wishing star?" Lucy asked disbelievingly "But how did people know? I mean, if it granted a wish already then wouldn't it just be a pretty rock by now?"

"The star was said to be incredibly powerful when it first fell to Earthland. To look at it was like trying to gaze into the heart of the sun," the scholar explained "The amount of magic expended depended on the wish made of it, and though it is a finite resource, there still should have been considerable power left."

"How would you know? Someone could have just gotten into the ruins at some point and used up all the magic on a wish," Natsu pointed out, tone disbelieving as he finally jumped into the conversation while Erza nodded her agreement.

"He has a point. Perhaps someone simply beat you to it, Mr. Hawkes."

Johnathan shook his head "No, I have been searching for many years now, and in that time, I developed a spell that not only allowed me to track down the star's unique magical signature, but gave me readings on it's power levels," he explained emphatically "I took a reading as soon as you left to find it and everything was normal," he said with a sigh "When you brought it back, though...there was only the tiniest flicker of magic left. Whatever it is you wished for took a great deal of power."

"But we didn't wish for-" Lucy began, only to cut herself off mid-sentence as memories of that night came back to haunt her.

_'I wish you could understand what it was like to not be able to protect the person you care about most because you don't have the strength, no matter how hard you try!'_

The blonde raised a hand to her mouth, and her eyes went wide with horror as the full weight of what had happened hit her.

"Oh my god, this is all my fault," she mumbled behind her hand, making all three people turn to stare at her.

"Lucy?" Natsu asked, worry writ clear on his features while Erza looked at her, confused. There was a triumphant light in Johnathan's eyes, though, as she confessed.

"I had no idea," she insisted, hand dropping away from her lips "I _swear_ I had no idea that that stupid rock could grant wishes! I would never wish for something like this, not really," she said, tears springing to her eyes as guilt washed over her.

"But you did wish, didn't you," Johnathan asked, voice level as he regarded her from where he sat, and Lucy nodded weakly.

"Lucy, what did you wish for?" Erza asked "It'll be alright, just tell us."

The blonde glanced, horrified, at Natsu, who nodded encouragingly, clearly not remembering her stupid, foolish words from their argument. Now she would have to remind him.

"I...Natsu and I had an argument the other night," she confessed, and the dragon slayer blinked "I made a wish, a stupid wish I would have _never_ made had I realized it would actually come true!" she hastened to add before pressing on "We had an argument and I- I wished that he could understand what it was like to be me. To be the one that can't protect the person they care about most...no matter how hard they tried."

Shocked silence reigned over the little group for a long minute before Natsu finally broke it and said "So...this is why you have my powers?" He seemed confused even as he spoke the words "That's not really what you wished for, though," he added, scratching the side of his nose.

"Isn't it, though?" Erza asked after a moment's thoughtful consideration "Sure it's not word for word, but when you get down to the heart of the matter..."

"Miss Lucy essentially wished that the two of you would switch places. That _she_ could be the powerful one in your relationship," Johnathan finished for the requip mage as it dawned on him as well "My research into the wishing star does imply that it does not always answer a wish word for word, rather, it sees into the soul of the individual and grants the desire of the heart."

"But I don't want Natsu's powers!" Lucy objected immediately, glancing at the dragon slayer nervously.

"No, but you obviously wanted him to know what it's like to be in your shoes," Erza countered "Strong as he is, Natsu could never truly understand if he still had his magic...so the wishing star took it away."

"No," Natsu said, surprising everyone. He was frowning, one hand rubbing absently at the spot just below his heart, in the center of his chest "I still have magic."

"What?" Lucy asked in confusion "But yesterday...the fight with Bran?"

"My magic wouldn't work, but I still _have_ magic," the dragon slayer explained "It just wouldn't do what I wanted it to, and it feels strange. Not like mine at all."

Lucy's eyes seemed transfixed by his hand in the center of his chest as he spoke "Natsu, does your magic feel kinda...like a warm, golden ball of light? Right where your hand is?"

"What?" the dragon slayer asked, confused for a moment, his hand going still as he glanced down at it, and then appeared to really think on the matter. Closing his eyes, he took a breath and thought of his magic. Normally he could find it's source down by his stomach, where it spread outward like a network of living fire through his body. Now though, there was a ball of light just below his hand, waiting and full of promise. As he really _looked_ at it for the first time, the magic pulsed and almost seemed to stretch it's wings. Through it, for a moment, he would swear he could feel other hearts beating in time with his; ten as bright and powerful as his own, and five smaller, though no less important ones.

"Natsu?"

Erza's voice brought the dragon slayer back around and he opened his eyes to find everyone staring at him.

"Lucy," he said, with eyes for no one but her in that moment "I can _feel_ them."

An expression of inordinate relief bloomed across the blonde's features. Though she hadn't wanted to admit it, she had been terrified that something might have happened to the spirits she had contracts with in the wake of her suddenly inheriting Natsu's powers. If he could really feel her power's bond with them, though, then they were okay. Apparently the power swap hadn't nullified her contracts, which meant that he hadn't just become a celestial spirit mage and she a dragon slayer. The star had literally given each of them the other's magic.

"Oh thank goodness," she breathed, reaching out to grip her friend's shoulder for support.

Without thinking, Natsu stepped closer so she could lean on him. When he felt the fine tremors running through her frame, it hit him just how worried she must have been for her spirit friends when she suddenly lost her powers. That was what happened, after all, he recognized now. He wasn't the only victim here, Lucy was too. Just because it had been more obvious that she had gained new magic in turn didn't mean that she wasn't terrified of what might have happened to her dear friends in the spirit world.

"So, how do we fix this," Natsu asked Johnathan, who's attention had strayed to the wishing star, which flickered dimly on the tabletop he now leaned heavily against.

"You don't," he replied flatly, making Lucy gasp, while Erza and Natsu frowned.

"That's not good enough," the red head said grimly, slamming her hand down onto the table, making the scholar jerk away, and the star jump.

"What do you want me to say?" John snapped irritably as he got to his feet "If there was enough power left in the star, you could have wished things back the way they were, but there's simply not," he said, waving a dismissive hand at the artifact on the table "Tearing the magic of not just one, but _two_ powerful mages out by the roots, and then transplanting it into another would have taken a tremendous amount of power. The wishing star has little left to give," he finished with a disappointed sigh.

The scholar picked the artifact up and regarded it thoughtfully for a moment before smiling ruefully and saying quietly "Still, perhaps it is for the best. At least now, even if it falls into the wrong hands, there won't be any real damage it could do."

Johnathan put the star back on the table and turned his attention to Erza, all business once more "Well, now that we have established that it was indeed your mages, that caused the problem, I will be taking my money back with me now."

Erza seemed completely flabbergasted by this announcement for a moment, and then angry "Now see here-" she started, only to be interrupted.

"There will be no refund, Mr. Hawkes," Mirajane said as she stepped forward, making Lucy jump in surprise, and Natsu look around curiously

"What is the meaning of this?" the scholar asked, frowning pointedly at the take-over mage as she smiled in return.

"Please forgive my eavesdropping, but while the Master is away, it is I, not Erza, who is in charge of quests and any complaints that might spring up in his absence."

Erza frowned at this, but did not object. Both women were older now, but that didn't mean that their childhood rivalry didn't resurface occasionally. Still, the requip mage knew better than to argue.

"And you mean to deny me my money when your mages have clearly rendered the item they were paid to find useless?" Johnathan asked archly, frowning at Mirajane.

"I do," the silver haired woman said with a polite smile "You hired Natsu, Lucy, and Happy to retrieve an item for you, which they did as promised. If there was some possibility that innocent words on their part while transporting said item could render it useless to you, then it was _your_ responsibility to make them aware of that. I think it is quite clear that what happened here was a simple mistake that could have been avoided had you been more upfront with them."

The scholar sputtered impotently for a moment before gathering himself and saying "Very well, but this is certainly the last time that I will be soliciting Fairy Tail with a job request!"

"That is fine. We would not have accepted a second request from someone who endangered three of our members by not giving them all the information they needed," Mirajane countered, smile falling away as her expression became quite grim "Any one of them might have unknowingly wished for something terrible, thinking that it could never come true. People wish for careless things all the time, but you knowingly let them go fetch an artifact that could have wrought who knows what kind of mayhem without so much as a warning."

Johnathan gathered up his bag and said "You have quite made your point, madam," then turned and made for the exit. Before leaving, though, he called back "Keep the star, with my compliments. It's useless to me now anyways," then slammed the door behind him.

Lucy heaved a sigh of relief as Natsu made a face at the man's retreating back. The woman was tremendously relieved that Mira had decided to back her and Natsu. With the both of them potentially out of work for some time thanks to their sudden power swap, she wasn't sure _what_ she would have done for rent if she'd had to give back her share.

"Is he gone?" Happy asked in a worried whisper as he unexpectedly dropped onto Lucy's shoulder from where he had been hiding up in the rafters.

"Yeah, and he's not taking his money with him," Natsu told their partner with a grin as he stepped away from Lucy and stretched.

"I kind of wish he'd taken this thing with him, though," the blonde said with a frown, ignoring the bereft feeling that settled into her bones when Natsu pulled away from her. Instead, she picked up the wishing star and turned it carefully over in her hands. She looked at the dragon slayer, who was watching her curiously, and then held it out to him "Why don't you keep it, Natsu? You can add it to your collection of keepsakes."

The rose haired mage hesitated, then accepted "Alright. Might as well."

"Not a lot of good memories attached to that one, though," Happy said with a frown from his place on Lucy's shoulder.

"That doesn't make them any less important, though," Erza observed with a gentle smile at the younger mages.

"I guess you're right," the exceed reluctantly agreed as Natsu passed the artifact to him to put in his bag for the time being. Happy carefully wrapped it up in a handkerchief he kept in there so it wouldn't poke through the green fabric, and then tied it back in place.

"Lucy?" Mirajane asked, dragging the girl from her contemplative thoughts.

"Huh?" she replied, giving a small start.

"How about we have Natsu test out your magic? He says he can feel the spirits, but it's entirely possible that they have no idea what's going on. I'm sure they'd want to know," the woman said, smiling.

Lucy could have slapped herself for not thinking of doing that first, and quickly agreed "You're right," as she pulled her key case off of her belt and passed it to Natsu "They definitely deserve to know. I don't think this turn of events will make them want to re-negotiate their contracts, but they deserve a chance to do so. They didn't ask for this," she said, and grimaced.

"Hey," Natsu said, almost taking offense at her words. He couldn't, though, seeing as she was definitely right. The celestial spirits had made their contracts with Lucy, after all, and they loved her very much. Just because he possessed her magic didn't mean that they would necessarily want to work with him.

The former dragon slayer opened the little leather case and took out a key at random. He held it up, but before he even got a word out, Lucy interjected "No, not that one!"

"What?" he asked, looking at her in confusion. She seemed almost panicked.

"Er, that's Aquarius' key. I promised her I'd explain what happened the other night, but obviously I haven't had a chance to yet, and I'd rather not have to do it right here in the middle of the guild..." the blonde admitted, glancing around nervously.

Natsu rolled his eyes, but returned the golden key to it's case, which he then held out towards Lucy "Fine, _you_ pick then."

Lucy regarded her keys thoughtfully for a moment, before plucking out one in particular and passing it to Natsu "Here, summon Loke. He'll be the most likely to actually sit and listen, and maybe he can explain things to everyone else so you don't have to exhaust yourself summoning them all one at a time."

"Yeah, alright," Natsu said, unable to help remembering the fact that the last time he'd seen the spirit, he'd just brought Lucy back from the dead. With CPR. Using his _lips._ The thought kind of pissed him off.

"Natsu?" Lucy asked worriedly, waving her hand in front of her friend's face to get his attention.

The rose haired mage blinked and shook himself "Right!" he held the key aloft and said "I summon Loke! Get your ass out here!"

Erza and Mirajane burst into laughter, and Happy giggled so hard that he fell right off of Lucy's shoulder and had to land on the table. Lucy herself just stared at her best friend, completely aghast.

"What the hell was that?!" she demanded after a moment, during which Natsu looked at the key in his hand, clearly confused.

"Don't know, it didn't work," Natsu said with a thoughtful frown as he turned the key this way and that "Am I supposed to do something with your magic when I say the words?"

Lucy spluttered "You're supposed to say the right damn words first, idiot!"

"I thought I did!" the dragon slayer objected.

"I do _not_ not tell my friends to 'get their asses out here'!"

"Oh fine, just tell me what to do then," Natsu huffed.

Lucy smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand and heaved a long, put upon sigh. She gathered her patience, then, and said "Okay, look. The words you want are 'Gate of the lion, open! Leo,'" carefully enunciating so he would get it all "Then, you're going to channel your magic down your arm and into the key," she explained.

Natsu nodded and closed his eyes, feeling for the unfamiliar presence of Lucy's magic in the center of his chest, then said "Gate of the lion, open! Leo!"

With a little help from him, Lucy's magic leaped at his words and surged down his arm before pooling in Loke's key. A second later, it burst forth, and Natsu _felt_ it connect to something on the other side of...somewhere. The chime of a bell that came with a one of Lucy's successful summons had the former dragon slayer's eyes flying open just in time to see his fellow guild mate appear in a flash of golden light.

The celestial spirit was dressed casually today, rather than in a suit and tie. No doubt he could sense that this was a social call, rather than a fight. His green, fur lined parka had returned, as well as his baggy pants, and a bright yellow t-shirt.

"About time, Lucy!" Loke said with a relieved grin as he pushed his tinted glasses up the bridge of his nose "Wasn't sure how much longer I could hold off Aquarius..." the spirit's words died off as he realized he was face to face with Natsu, instead of his lovely blonde master "Natsu, what's going on..." he asked, tone immediately serious as he took in the fact that the rose haired mage was holding his key, a vaguely surprised expression on his face "Where's Lucy?"

"It's alright, Loke," Lucy said reassuringly as she stepped around into his field of view and smiled. The relief the lion spirit exhibited was nearly palpable "That said... something definitely happened after you left the other day."

Loke's hazel eyes darted between Lucy and Natsu, and then turned to take in Happy, Erza, and Mirajane "Do tell," he mused, arching one brow at the group.

* * *

Telling their story for the second time went a bit smoother than the first. For one, Loke already knew half of it, for another, the repetition made it flow more smoothly. People who hadn't heard the night before gathered around to listen, and were soon joined by some that had when they realized there was new information to be heard.

Loke listened patiently, as Lucy had hoped he would. Mostly he ignored those that crowded around, though a few, such as Gray and Levy, got a wave of greeting before he turned his attention back to his master.

"So," he said when she was done "Natsu's a celestial spirit mage...and you're a dragon slayer now?" he asked just to clarify, both eyebrows raised as he pushed his blue tinted shades up his nose.

"Seems like," Natsu said with a shrug.

"It's not just that, though," Lucy said, jumping in quickly to clarify "The wish didn't change our magic, it took the heart of our power and switched them. That's why Natsu could still feel my magic's bond to you and the others, and why he was able to summon you."

The lion spirit nodded thoughtfully "It's true, it _felt_ like you calling me," he said, hazel eyes drifting to Natsu, who was fiddling idly with Lucy's keys, including his own "So what now? How are we going to fix this?"

"I don't know," Lucy said with a sigh as she buried her head in her hands and rested her elbows on the table "John said we could have wished ourselves back if there was enough power left in the star, but there's not. I have no idea how to get us back to normal."

A hand was placed lightly on Lucy's shoulder, making the blonde look up to see Levy standing by her, smiling reassuringly "Don't worry, Lucy, you don't have to figure it out on your own. I'll get started on some research, and I'm sure everyone else will be willing to help where they can as well," she said brightly.

There was a round of agreement from the mages gathered around them. From Macao to Jett, it seemed as though everyone was willing to help.

"T-thank you, everyone" Lucy said, sniffing back tears of relief and gratitude as she looked around at the smiling faces of her extended guild family.

She glanced at Natsu, and when he noticed her looking, he just grinned "See, Lucy, we're not alone. We'll get this fixed in no time."

"Right," she agreed with a tearful smile before turning her attention back to Loke.

The spirit was smiling at her as well "Don't worry, Lucy, you have our support too. I'll get Crux on this as soon as I get back. Maybe he can find something."

"Thanks, Loke," Lucy said, relieved "In the mean time, will you and the others work with Natsu? I'm hoping we won't be stuck like this for long, but..." her words trailed off and a frown threatened her features.

"I can't speak for the others for certain, but I'm sure they will. I'll call a meeting when I get back and explain everything," Loke said "As for me, I'll answer if he calls." The spirit paused and looked at Natsu critically for a moment before adding "No summoning me for stupid stuff though, got it? I'm not your errand boy."

"I'm not a kid, I can run my own errands," Natsu countered with a snort, and Lucy looked curiously between the two of them. This oddly combative tone they seemed to have adopted with one another was new, and strange. Natsu was always competitive with everyone, but this was different. Almost resentful.

"Will you tell Aquarius that I'll have Natsu summon her soon so we can have that talk?" Lucy said to break up the tension "I would have done so already, but..." she shrugged helplessly, and Loke nodded.

"Yeah, don't worry about it, I'll talk to her. I won't say that she's not going to give you a lecture anyways, though," he said with a chuckle, making Lucy grimace. He leaned across the table, then, and took one of her hands in his as he said "Now that that is all out of the way, how about you and I go on a little date, hmm?"

"W-what?" Lucy stuttered, wrong footed by the sudden change in subject. She pulled her hand out of his and flapped it at him dismissively "Come on, don't start that. Your fangirls will be out for my blood again," she said with a laugh. She always felt a little embarrassed when Loke tried to put the moves on her, but ever since day one of meeting him at the guild, she had never been able to take them seriously. After all, he said stuff like that to _every_ half-way pretty girl he met.

"Aw come on, it'll be fun," he said, grinning slyly "I kissed you back to life last time, let me show you how good I am when you're awake."

"Loke!" Lucy hissed, flushed with embarrassment as she looked around warily, relieved to see that most of their audience had dissipated while the three of them conferred. Levy, however, was giving her the sort of look that promised questions later.

The crash of a fist against the tabletop made Lucy and Loke both jump in alarm and look around at Natsu, who had leaped to his feet and was now looming over the table, glaring furiously at the spirit "You think that's _funny_?" he demanded angrily.

"What?" Loke asked, bewildered for a moment before the realization hit him, and he stared up at Natsu, hazel eyes wide "Look, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like..." he sighed and shook himself "You're right, it's not funny," he said apologetically, voice low once he realized more than a few mages were staring their way.

Natsu appeared to notice as well, as he took a deep breath and stepped away from the table "Just don't fucking do it again," he said grimly, then turned and left the guild, scarf fluttering in his wake as he disappeared out the front door.

Happy stared after him, clearly torn on whether or not to follow. Taking pity on her blue friend, Lucy said "Why don't you give him awhile to cool off, Happy? He'll be back in no time, I'm sure," she said with more confidence than she felt.

Frankly, her friend's outburst had startled her, but she also understood. He'd been horrified by the fact that she'd drowned in his absence, and having Loke continually remind him of that fact in his teasing had finally set him over the edge.

"Right," the exceed agreed reluctantly.

"I'm going to go ahead and go, Lucy," Loke said, drawing her attention back to him. Looking at him, she realized he seemed...embarrassed.

"Alright," she said with a sigh "I'm sorry about-" she waved one hand helplessly "all this. I'm sure Natsu will apologize later too."

The lion spirit shook his head "He doesn't need to. He's right, it's not something I should joke about," Loke admitted, rubbing his forehead absently "I'll go talk to everyone now. I'm sure he'll have their full support until everything's back to normal."

"Thanks, Loke," Lucy said, relieved that the boys' argument hadn't ruined the understanding they'd come to. When he stood, she followed suit, then stepped around the table and gave him a brief hug. He returned the gesture without so much as a lewd comment, then disappeared.

Feeling unaccountably tired considering it was barely afternoon, Lucy went to the bar and ordered a latte from Mira, who supplied it without comment, though she did give her a reassuring smile.

When Levy settled onto the stool next to her, the former celestial spirit mage knew she was in for a grilling.

"Alright, spill. What was all that about?" the solid script mage asked once her friend had had a moment to take a sip of her coffee "I seriously thought Natsu was going to punch Loke for a second there."

Lucy grimaced, but nodded her agreement of her friend's assessment. She had been seriously concerned for a moment as well. The suddenly sly expression on Levy's face, though, gave the blonde pause.

"Natsu certainly seemed to object to the idea of Loke kissing you," she mused innocently.

The former celestial spirit mage choked on her coffee and had to fight to breathe for a moment while Levy just watched, a coy smile on her adorable face.

"Levy!" Lucy objected when she was finally able to speak again "It's _not_ like that," she insisted, blushing furiously at the implication, pointedly ignoring the way her stomach fluttered at the very idea.

"Oh? Then what is it?" blue haired girl asked curiously, seeming disappointed by her friend's insistence that her idea was incorrect.

Lucy sighed and admitted "There was...a part that I left out of my story earlier," in a quiet voice "Promise you won't spread it around, though? Honestly, I don't want people getting upset," she said, frowning as she fiddled absently with her cup.

"Of course," Levy said solemnly, all hints of humor gone in the face of her friend's frown.

"You remember the part where I escaped the tower by jumping into the lake and swimming to shore?"

"Yeah?"

"I...didn't swim to shore," Lucy admitted quietly. When her friend stared at her blankly, she continued "It was a hundred foot drop to the water, so I blacked out on impact. I woke up to Loke performing CPR on me. He and Aquarius felt that I was in trouble, so they came through and found me at the bottom of the lake..."

"Oh my god," Levy whispered, a horrified expression on her face as she reached out and laid a hand on Lucy's arm "I can't believe you really...oh my god," she repeated again, uncharacteristically at a loss for words.

"Yeah," Lucy said with a weak smile "I'm really lucky Loke can make a gate on his own, or-"

The blonde's comment was cut off by her friend throwing herself at her, and wrapping her up in a tight hug "I can't believe I almost lost one of my best friends and didn't even realize it," the solid script mage said quietly, fighting back tears as Lucy wrapped her arms around her thin frame.

"I know, but I'm alright, I promise," Lucy said, unable to help finding the fact that _she_ had to keep reassuring people about her well being rather amusing when she was the one who had practically died. In a dark way she'd never admit to, obviously "You won't tell everyone else though, will you?" the blonde asked when Levy pulled away.

The solid script mage nodded "Of course not. I understand," she said quietly before saying "Gosh, no wonder Natsu was so upset at Loke, though! I've half a mind to punch him myself!"

The mental image of the petite girl hitting the lion spirit right in the nose drew a laugh out of Lucy "Cut him some slack, Levy. You know how he is. He likes to tease girls, but he's not cruel. Loke just wasn't thinking."

"Yeah, well, he'd better watch how he jokes," Levy said, shaking one of her small fists threateningly "Honestly, his womanizing has always driven me up the wall! I mean, I know he's a good guy, deep down, and he's always willing to help when needed...but sometimes I just want to smack him!"

Lucy giggled, knowing full well what her friend meant "Well, even if he started coming around more, again, I don't think you'd have to worry about his attention for long," she mused slyly.

"Huh?" the other girl said, blinking up at her taller friend in confusion.

"Well yeah, I mean, Gajeel would probably throw him out the nearest window if he caught him flirting with you," the blonde said, raising her eyebrows at her friend and grinning before taking another sip of her coffee.

Now it was Levy's turn to be embarrassed "H-he'd probably do that for any of the girls!"

Lucy burst out laughing at the very idea "Yeah right, Levy! Who do you think you're kidding? Or him, for that matter," she mused, rolling her eyes at the thought of the iron dragon slayer. It was so painfully obvious that he had a thing for Levy. She had no doubt that, at first, he had hung around her blue haired friend in an attempt to make amends for the wrongs he'd perpetrated against her and team Shadow Gear...but now? Well, they were _way_ past the point that anyone ever even thought about that anymore. Gajeel may be rough around the edges, but it was easy to see the way he had changed over the past year, and nowhere was it more apparent than in the way he acted towards Levy.

Granted, it wasn't as though he stared at her constantly, or sighed after her. It was more in the way he was always there to support her, whatever she was doing. The way she would inevitably be the first person he sought out when he returned from a mission. It was especially obvious in the way that he was willing to ignore Jett and Droy's jibes, rather than pile driving them through the nearest table like she could tell he wanted to sometimes.

Smiling at her abashed friend, Lucy said "Come on, you can't tell? I know _you_ definitely like him."

"I..." the girl flushed bright red before admitting in a quiet voice "I _do_ like him, but Lucy, there's no way he likes me back!" she insisted "He's so straight forward the rest of the time...wouldn't he just come out and _say_ that he liked me if he actually did?"

"Oh Levy," Lucy said with a sigh and a pitying pat for her dear friend's shoulder "I really don't think he would. See, Gajeel's not just a _man,_ he's also a _dragon slayer,_ " the blonde explained emphatically "That's like... _twice_ the inability to take a hint in one package!"

Levy was quiet for a moment before she said "Well, I guess that would explain why Natsu's never noticed how much you like him, then."

"What? Levy! We've been over this! Natsu and I are just really close friends," Lucy insisted uncomfortably.

Her friend just rolled her eyes and said "I may have it bad by not being able to tell Gajeel how I feel, but at least I can admit it to _myself_!"

Lucy tore her eyes from Levy's critical, though amused, gaze, and stared into her mostly empty cup. She didn't like Natsu that way, did she? Sure, she had her moments wondering what it might be like to be with him that way, but...that was normal, right? After all, they had been through so much together since she'd joined the guild. Surely every girl had those thoughts about her male friends occasionally? Never mind the fact that she'd certainly never thought of Gray in that light, or Elfman, or Gajeel, or Loke...

Natsu was handsome, and strong, not to mention disarmingly kind sometimes. He cared for his guild family with all of his heart, and would fight to the end ends of Earthland to protect them...He'd been willing to sacrifice his very life so she and Happy could escape the ruins. She'd been pissed at him for it, but what person wouldn't feel intensely cherished by such a gesture? Though it may only be in a familial way, Natsu loved with a depth and sincerity that could leave Lucy breathless.

Was it really so wrong to wonder, in the dark of the night, what it would be like if Natsu were to turn his incredible ability to love towards her romantically?

"So, girls, are you going to stick around for karaoke?"

Lucy jerked from her introspective thoughts and looked up at Mirajane, who had approached to take away her empty cup "Huh?" she asked.

"Karaoke. Are you going to join in? We're going to be starting up here in a few minutes," the silver haired mage said with a cheerful smile.

"I-" Lucy hesitated and shared a glance with Levy. The blue haired girl shrugged and smiled, so she answered "Sure, why not?"

It was something to do until Natsu got back, anyways.

* * *

It took longer than he expected, but Natsu was eventually able calm down and start walking back towards the guild without feeling an intense desire to punch Loke in the face. The other man's joke had gotten under the dragon slayer's skin in a way that few things ever could, and Natsu still felt like he was reeling from the surge of rage that had flooded his system at Loke's words.

He knew he'd have to apologize later. For all that the joke definitely hadn't been funny, Loke hadn't exactly deserved to have his head bitten off either. Natsu knew that the spirit didn't mean any harm, flirting was simply part of his M.O., after all. He'd _always_ been like that, even before anyone had realized he was actually a zodiac spirit.

The sight of him flirting with _Lucy_ , though, had pushed Natsu over an edge that the man hadn't even realized with there. The joke had been tasteless, but it was the thought of Loke kissing Lucy that had pushed him from justifiable anger into outright fury.

But why? He certainly wasn't the same way about any of his other female friends. The thought of Erza kissing someone certainly didn't bother him, and Romeo's awkward attempts at wooing Wendy did nothing but make Natsu laugh (though never to the boy's face. He wasn't _that_ cruel). Lisanna, Mirajane, Levy, Juvia...none of their love lives even interested him, let alone angered him. So long as they were happy and being treated well by whoever was romancing them, he was just as happy to remain ignorant.

So why did the thought of Lucy locking lips with the lion spirit bother him so much?

Testing a theory that maybe Loke wasn't necessarily the problem, Natsu tried imagining Gray kissing Lucy. The resulting mental image nearly made the dragon slayer gag, and filled him with an _overwhelming desire_ to strangle the ice mage. Pushing the feeling aside (after all Gray hadn't _actually_ done anything for a change), he tried the exercise again, with Gajeel this time, and got much the same result. Elfman? He'd just as soon set the take-over mage on fire. Himself?

_That_ mental image got a decidedly different reaction. Rather than anger, Natsu experienced a deep sense of pleasure, coupled with a powerful longing to compare the Lucy of his daydream to the real one. In his mind, her lips were warm and pliant against his, her soft breasts pressed against the hard planes of his chest as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and drew her in closer...

"Oi! Get out of the road, dumb-ass!"

The angry shout of a stranger directly behind him left Natsu feeling like someone had dumped a bucket of ice water over his head. The dragon slayer looked around and realized that he'd been standing in the center of the street, blocking traffic as he'd become thoroughly distracted by his thoughts.

"S-sorry!" Natsu stammered uncharacteristically as he hurried to the sidewalk while the cart driver that had yelled at him complained loudly about 'kids these days'.

Natsu watched the cart pass by for a moment before shoving his hands into the pockets of his red jacket and starting off towards the guild once more. He almost immediately became lost in thought again as he considered what he had learned from his little mental kissing exercise.

So, he positively hated the idea of Lucy kissing _any_ man, unless said man was him. This must, he figured, have something to do with the realization he had come to last night in Lucy's apartment after the lights had gone out.

After all, from everything he had heard from the other men in the guild, wanting to kiss the person you found most beautiful in all the world was perfectly normal, right? Lucy was certainly that, on the outside _and_ the inside. She was always at his side, laughing with him, and sometimes laughing _at_ him. That was okay, though, because he laughed at her too. It was only fair. They took care of one another when they were injured, or sick; shared their troubles and their joys alike. There was very little that happened in their lives that they didn't tell one another about...and when she wasn't around, he missed her dearly.

He missed the way she smiled, and the sound of her laugh. Missed the way she would scold him when he did something careless, and how she got excited when things went their way. When they spent a particularly long time apart, Natsu would even miss the way she got angry with him when he did something that upset her. Half the time he had no idea what he did in the first place, but she usually forgave him after an hour or two of apologizing, so that was okay too.

The whole world seemed like a darker place when she wasn't at his side. The real question was, though, did she feel the same way about him? The question after that was, did he _want_ her to feel that way about him?

Natsu knew that he could be oblivious to things that were obvious to others, but even he realized that that if Lucy _did_ like him the way he was beginning to realize he liked her...it would change their relationship forever. There'd be no going back to the way they were before if things went south. He was certain that they would always care for one another, and that they would always help each other when they were in need, but there would be a certain level of intimacy that could never be repaired between them.

The dragon slayer hesitated at the door of the guild, one hand hovering over the handle as a war waged within his heart. Did he keep their valued friendship the way it was? Or should he pursue his partner and find out if she loved him the same way, attempting to woo her if she didn't? Maintain what was already a wonderful, irreplaceable part of his life, or try to grow that relationship into something new and amazing at the risk of it all falling out from under him?

Pushing the door open and stepping inside, Natsu was hit with a wall of noise that made him blink in surprise as the door swung shut behind him. The guild was a veritable mad house, packed wall to wall with mages sitting at the tables, _on_ the tables, at the bar, standing along the walls...the dragon slayer hadn't seen this many Fairy Tail members in one place since before the events at Tenrou island.

As his ears became accustomed to the riot of noise, Natsu realized that there was music playing over all the chatter. In fact, most of the people in the room seemed to have their attention focused on the guild's stage. The music playing was light, and bouncy, well suited to the voice that swelled to meet it just as Natsu reached the top of the stairs that lead down to the main floor.

To his surprise, the dragon slayer recognized the voice almost immediately, and quickly turned his attention to the stage where Lucy stood, microphone in hand, smiling out at the crowd nervously.

" _I never loved nobody fully_  
Always one foot on the ground  
And by protecting my heart truly..."

As she sang, his friend's brown eyes roved over the heads of the crowd, seeming to look for someone in particular. Leaning against the banister on the stairs, Natsu found himself thinking that Lucy had a very pretty singing voice. It wasn't until that moment that he realized he had never really _heard_ her sing before. Now he wondered why. She really was quite good.

Their eyes met, then, and Natsu watched as Lucy's nervous grin blossomed into a delighted smile. The sudden transformation it wrought on his best friend's features was stunning, making him swallow hard as his heart leaped in his chest. She waved happily at him as she sang, and he raised a hand in turn, grinning broadly.

Who was he kidding? Of course he was going to go for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well folks, you know what's coming next! That's right, karaoke chapter! XD I'll go ahead and just apologize ahead of time, I really couldn't resist, lol. It was far too entertaining to write!  
> Anyhoo, thanks for reading! If you enjoyed, please make sure to leave a review! I'm totally not kidding when I say that they help me keep writing!


	10. Unforgettable

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note: I would like to apologize ahead of time for this chapter, lol. Excuses at the end. -sends self to the corner-  
> Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed! They really do help me keep writing, and if you don't leave a review, who will??

As soon as rumor had gotten around that it was karaoke night at the guild, members came in droves, making Lucy and Levy both glad of their seats at the bar. It wasn't long before the place was packed, and the blonde was left wondering if maybe some of the mages hadn't brought non-guild friends to the party. Still, as Mirajane and the others got the stage set up, and someone dragged a lacrima powered karaoke machine in from one of the back rooms, Lucy couldn't deny that the atmosphere of anticipation was quite fun. Everyone was in a good mood, and after the drama between Loke and Natsu earlier, she was glad of the distraction.

Beside her, Levy was craning her head around in an attempt to catch sight of something, or, rather, someone.

Lucy elbowed her friend lightly and said “Don't worry, if there's music and a stage involved, there's no way Gajeel's not going to show up.”

Her blue haired friend flushed, but smiled as she was caught out “I hope Natsu comes back soon, too,” she said “I know he always likes to get a good laugh in during events like this.”

Lucy nodded and chuckled “And hey, we don't have to worry about him setting the place on fire when he inevitably challenges someone for once!” 

Levy giggled, unable to deny the point her friend made as Mirajane took the stage.

“Alright everyone, this is how it's going to work!” the S-class mage said after taking up the microphone so she could be heard over the noise of the crowd “Rather than having sign-ups, we're going to play 'pass the microphone'. I'll start by singing a song first, and when I'm done, I'm going to pick someone else out of the crowd to sing. If you get picked, you have to sing. There will be consequences if you don't, got it?” She asked, wagging her finger at the room and grinning “So we'll just keep it going like that. Also, no repeat singers for at least ten turns, so everyone gets a chance.”

Once she was sure that everyone understood, Mira turned to the karaoke machine behind her and picked out a song. It was upbeat and catchy, perfect for getting the crowd excited. She had a clear, high voice, and it was obvious to Lucy that the other girl was quite talented. Then again, what wasn't Fairy Tail's poster girl good at?

When she was done, Mira called out Evergreen, who was seated just down the bar from them. Typical of the supremely confident fairy mage, she jumped right up onto stage and strutted her stuff to a pop-rock song, tossing her hair and swaying her hips enticingly. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Ever picked Elfman when she was done, though he blushed and tried to get away.

“Come on, be a man, Elfman!” Gray yelled and he jumped up onto the table he had been seated at, stripping off his shirt as he did so. 

Unable to deny the challenge, the bulky take-over mage marched up to the stage and picked out a song. Much to everyone's surprise, a sappy love ballad was his choice, which he did a much better job at performing than Lucy certainly would have guessed.

“Aww, just look at Ever!” Levy squealed and pointed out the other mage, who had reclaimed her seat down the bar from them, blushing furiously, but obviously delighted.

“B'aww,” Lucy cooed as Elfman finished called out Gray (no doubt in revenge for his earlier jab about being a man) and went to Evergreen's side, still blushing like mad. The fairy mage chided him for being so obvious, but it was easy to see that she was more happy than annoyed when she wrapped her arms around his hulking bicep and nestled in close.

“Really, though, who do they think they're fooling?” Lucy remarked to her friend, a fond smile on her face as she regarded the obvious couple. Ever was rather prickly, but she was a good person, once you got to know her. It would never stop amusing most of the guild, though, that she and Elfman were romantically involved. Two more different people it was difficult to find!

“Oh, let them be,” Levy said with a smile of her own and turned her attention to the stage as Gray finished making his selection.

When he broke out in a fast paced rap, both girls shared a look, and then grinned. They were certainly learning a lot about their friends' unexpected taste in music today. The ice mage had a good sense of rhythm, and even broke out a few dance moves, to everyone's entertainment. Luckily (or maybe unluckily) he finished before it turned into a strip show, and they applauded loudly with everyone else, though perhaps not so enthusiastically as Juvia. Then again, it was hard to match Juvia's enthusiasm when it came to anything Gray related.

There was, however, a loud groan when the ice mage picked Gajeel out of the crowd to sing next, making Levy's head whip around to spot him. Apparently he had been in one of the back corners of the room with Lily where they hadn't noticed him.

“Oi, shut up!” the iron dragon slayer shouted as he made his way to the stage.

“No guitar, Gajeel!” someone shouted.

“Yeah, this is karaoke, use the machine!”

“I know what the hell karaoke is, idiots! Don't make me come down there!” the tall, dark haired man threatened, making Lucy and Levy both laugh as he turned to the machine and picked out a song.

Luckily, Gajeel's voice was a little better when he had something to sing along to other than his own off-key guitar strumming. He wasn't particularly good, but not objectionably bad, like he normally was, much to Lucy's relief. The song he picked was a jazz number, which didn't surprise her in the least, considering that was what he always seemed to try to sing when he got a chance with his guitar and infamous white suit.

Daring to glance at her friend, Lucy grinned when she noted that Levy seemed totally transfixed. Maybe without the get-up she was able to take his singing more seriously, though Lucy still thought he'd pull off some hard rock or metal way better than jazz. 

“Oi, Lucy! Get up here!” The end of the song, and Gajeel shouting her name into the mic took the blonde completely off-guard.

“W-what?! Me?” she stammered, looking around in alarm as the iron dragon slayer shoved his way through the crowd towards her and Levy.

“Yeah, you,” he said with a wicked grin, poking her in the shoulder with one finger as he did “Now get out of my seat.”

Lucy's eyes went wide as she glanced from him, to her blushing friend, and back again. So that was it, then! She'd half expected him to call Levy out to get her attention, but the dragon slayer had shown surprising forethought in calling out Lucy instead. This way, he got to take her seat while she went to sing.

“Oh alright then,” she huffed and slid off her perch, then headed for the stage. For the sake of her friend's potential love life, she could take a hit “You owe me one, Gajeel!” she called back over her shoulder as she pushed through the crowd. She could hear him laugh behind her.

While she was willing to step aside so Levy could have some time with the man she liked, Lucy was more than a little nervous about singing in front of so many people. Normally she'd only done karaoke in small groups, not in front of what practically constituted a concert audience, after all.

The woman went to the machine and picked up the microphone. Apparently it was one of the fancier models, as it also came with a little ear piece so one could hear the original song and sing along, which was nice. She clipped it on her ear, and then flipped through the menu quickly, and found something she liked.

As the music started, it's light, bouncy notes filling the air, Lucy turned and faced the crowd. With the lights set up the way they were (had there always been spotlights up in the rafters?) it was hard to make out the faces of those that weren't right up in front of the stage. Still, it shouldn't be hard to spot that familiar shock of pink hair in a crowd, right?

As she started singing, Lucy was torn on whether or not she wished Natsu was there to watch. On the one hand, she hoped he wasn't, because the last thing she needed was him teasing her over her performance. On the other, though, part of her hoped that maybe he'd hear her and be impressed. Not to mention she hoped he was no longer in a sour mood after his blow up at Loke earlier. Honestly, if making fun of her singing would take his mind off things, at this point, she'd let him without complaint.

In the middle of the first verse, though, she spotted him. Natsu was leaning casually against one of the banisters on the main staircase, watching her with an absent smile on his face. The sight was enough to make her heart leap excitedly in her chest, and she couldn't hold back the elated smile that spread across her face. Without thinking, she raised a hand and waved at him, feeling absurd, but not caring in the slightest. 

He was here, and he was smiling at her.

“I got lost in the sounds  
I hear in my mind  
All these voices  
I hear in my mind all these words  
I hear in my mind all this music...”

After he had waved back, Lucy pulled her attention from him and looked out over the crowd, focusing on singing the half-remembered words coming out of her ear piece.

As Natsu watched his friend perform, an oblivious sort of smile took over his face. Distracted as he was, he jumped when Happy unexpectedly landed on his shoulder.

“You're back!” the exceed exclaimed “We were worried, but Lucy said to give you some time. I guess she was right,” Happy mused as he settled himself more comfortably on his perch.

“Yeah,” Natsu said “Sorry if I startled you guys earlier...I shouldn't have blown up like that.”

Happy looked at his friend, surprised by Natsu's show of maturity. He smiled, then, and said “Don't worry about it. Even Loke said you were right after you left.”

When Natsu's only reply to this was a distracted hum, Happy followed his gaze up to where Lucy was singing. She was swaying gracefully in time with the music now, any sign of nerves seeming to have left her as the song went on. 

Aha.

“Lucy's a pretty good singer, huh, Natsu?”

“Yeah, she's great,” the dragon slayer admitted distractedly, eyes locked on stage as Lucy's met his again, and she smiled, then flushed as the next verse filled the air between them.

“And suppose I never ever met you?  
Suppose we never fell in love?  
Suppose I never ever let you kiss me so sweet, and so soft...”

Lucy tore her gaze from his and sang on, leaving Natsu feeling oddly breathless, his stomach full of butterflies.

“You want to kiss Lucy, don't you?” Happy purred in his ear, making the dragon slayer go still as stone and flush beet red simultaneously. Thank goodness the lights were low over the audience so it wasn't likely that anyone but Happy would notice.

“You liiiiike her!” the exceed insisted with quiet glee when he didn't respond.

“I-what?!” Natsu demanded, completely wrong footed by his friend's observation. This was becoming far too much of a habit for the exceed lately.

“I do not!” he contested hotly, knowing full well that he was lying, and that Happy knew it too. The way his blonde friend's face flushed prettily at the lyrics of her song just wanted to make him kiss her all the more. How on Earthland had it taken him so long to notice what so many other men noticed the second they met her? Her sweet, full lips looked utterly kissable. Boy what he wouldn't give to just nibble her bottom lip...

“Natsu, you are a terrible liar,” Happy chortled

“I...shut up,” Natsu grumbled, falling into embarrassed silence for a moment before looking up at the exceed and saying emphatically “Don't you dare tell Lucy, Happy!”

The blue exceed blinked at his friend and said “I wouldn't do that, Natsu,” and he felt the dragon slayer relax under him “You are going to tell her though, right?”

“Y-yeah,” Natsu admitted bashfully with a firm nod “Just not yet.”

“Well alright, don't take too long, though,” Happy warned, and his friend glanced up at him curiously “Well, if you've noticed that Lucy is pretty and wonderful enough to want to kiss her...chances are a lot of other guys have too,” the cat explained, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

Natsu flinched at this revelation, but nodded his agreement, knowing his friend was right.

“I hear in my mind all of these voices  
I hear in my mind all of these words  
I hear in my mind all of this music

Breaks my   
Heart  
Breaks my heart...”

As Lucy's song wound down to a close, Natsu applauded along with everyone else, grinning widely as he pushed Happy's warning to the back of his mind for the time being. He was confused, though, when his friend remained on stage, and seemed to consider something.

“What's she doing?” he wondered aloud.

“Oh right, you weren't here at the start!” Happy said with a grin “The singer gets to choose who will be next, and you're not allowed to say no if you get picked! You've missed some good ones so far.”

“Oh,” Natsu said with a grin, wondering who his best friend would pick out next. A mischievous smile crossed the girl's face, and he knew they were in for something good as she turned and pointed out into the crowd...

“Natsu!”

“What?!” he demanded, mouth agape. Lucy grinned wickedly at him, and winked “Come on, you're in the guild, that means you have to sing when I call you,” she said in a sing-song voice as she crooked a finger at him and tossed her hair in a way that made his mouth go dry.

“You'd better not chicken out, you bastard! If I had to sing, so do you!” Gajeel shouted from the bar.

“Who are you calling chicken, bolts for brains?!” Natsu shouted back.

“Bawk-bawk-baaaawk!” Gray jeered, making flapping motions with his arms.

“Be a man, Natsu!” Elfman called across the room, grinning broadly at his rose haired friend.

“I'll show you a man!” the dragon slayer said, rising to the challenge as he shoved his way through the crowd and jumped up on stage. He grabbed the mic from Lucy and said “Okay, how does this thing work?”

“You've never done karaoke before?” Lucy asked with some surprise as she took off the ear piece and carefully clipped it onto Natsu's ear. Had the man not been so fired up over the challenge, he would have been utterly distracted by the gesture.

“No, but I'm gonna kick Gray and Gajeel's asses at it,” he told her with one of his manic grins, delighting in the way she laughed in response and nodded.

“Well, Gray did a rap, and Gajeel...well, is Gajeel, so beating them shouldn't be hard. Do you have a song preference?” she asked. When he shook his head, she turned to the machine and scrolled through some songs before finally coming up with something she thought Natsu might be able to excel at.

Natsu peered over her shoulder and asked “So the words show up there, right?” as he pointed to the menu.

“Yep, it'll project them in the air so you can follow along easier. Plus, you'll be able to hear the original version through the ear piece,” she explained as she tapped her own ear.

“Alright, let's do this!” he said enthusiastically, stripping off his jacket and tossing it aside while she pressed the start button and jumped down off the stage.

As the music started, Lucy looked around and realized she'd wound up sandwiched between Erza and Gray (who was still shirtless), with Juvia squeezed in on the ice mage's other side. Apparently all three wanted a good view of their friend's performance. Happy arrived to hover by her head a moment later, and they shared a grin.

“Choose something good for him?” Erza asked with a smile.

“Please tell me you picked something hilarious,” Gray said.

“I picked something that I thought might suit his range,” Lucy said with a smug smile.

“Du du du du-du du du  
Du du du du du-du du du...”

From up on the stage, Natsu raised an eyebrow at her as he sang, clearly wondering what the hell she had signed him up for. Beside her, Gray burst out laughing and Erza just stared.

“What song is this?” the man beside her asked when he managed to get his laughter under control.

“Oh just give it a moment!” she said, mostly to Natsu, who rolled his eyes and kept at it. A moment later, though, his ears perked up as the song shifted gear.

“Some legends are told  
Some turn to dust or to gold  
But you will remember me  
Remember me for centuries-”

“There we are!” Lucy cheered, applauding Natsu's singing, and herself for the song choice. As she had guessed, the dragon slayer's rough, strong voice was perfect for the song. The longer it went on, and the louder the music got, the more into it her friend seemed to get. Natsu went from standing stiffly on stage to leaning over the mic in his hands to wring out a little extra breath on each verse.

“And just one mistake  
Is all it will take.  
We'll go down in history  
Remember me for centuries  
Hey, hey, hey...”

Taking everyone by surprise, Natsu took a deep breath between verses and crowed loud and clear “Remember me for centuries!”

The grin he flashed the shocked crowd was as wild as the emotion in his voice. As he reached the crescendo, he threw a hand out for emphasis, and then pulled it back in, muscles tensing and shifting beneath his sun-kissed skin, vest thrown wide open to expose the bandages on his chest.

Around them, the audience burst into wild applause while Erza, Lucy, and the others all stared up at their friend where he stood on stage.

“Holy shit,” Gray said after a moment, having to shout over the noise of the crowd around them. There had been a sudden surge to the front of the room from those in the back, and they were now pressed quite tightly together.

“Since when is Natsu a rock star?” Erza asked, completely baffled, but impressed all the same.

“Happy, does Natsu have a secret musical career he's never told us about?” Lucy stammered out as she tried to pick her metaphorical jaw up off the floor.

“I...no?” the equally dumbfounded exceed replied.

“Mummified my teenage dreams  
No, it's nothing wrong with me  
The kids are all wrong,  
The story's all off  
Heavy metal broke my-” 

The music cut hard, then, and Natsu shook his hips to the double beat of guitar and drum in a way that made Lucy blush “heart!”

As the entire room began to clap in time with the music, Lucy glanced around at her friends. Gray was still gaping, though he had started to join in with the clapping as well. Juvia was staring in a way that she normally reserved for the man at her side, and Erza was swaying in time with the music.

The red head caught her eye and grinned “Great pick, Lucy. It really suits him, huh?”

“Yeah,” Lucy agreed absently as her eyes were inevitably drawn back to the man on stage. He seemed completely oblivious to the people around him as he launched into the next verse.

“Come on, come on and let me in  
The bruises on your thighs like my fingerprints-”

The meaning of the words that escaped him without thought caught up with Natsu half a second later, and his eyes flashed open, a blush spreading across his cheeks as he unconsciously sought Lucy's gaze.

Heart pounding, and her face the same color as Erza's hair, Lucy stared up at her friend, wide-eyed as Natsu missed first one line, then another. Not wanting him to get distracted, whatever startling acrobatics her heart and stomach might be attempting at that moment, she cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted “Sing, Natsu! You're amazing!”

The man blinked down at her, and then grinned and threw himself back into the music“I never meant for you to fix yourself!”

She thought he was amazing? Her words made Natsu's heart leap as he looked down again, and saw Lucy beaming up at him, cheeks flushed as she danced along side Erza, moving in time with the music that pounded from the speakers behind him.

He'd show her amazing.

“And I can't stop 'til the whole world knows my name  
'Cause I was only born inside my dreams  
Until you die for me, as long as there is a light, my shadow's over you  
'Cause I-”

Following the flow of the music, Natsu dropped his voice and practically purred into the mic “-I am the opposite of amnesia,” drawing out the final vowel before picking up the beat again. Was it just him, or had Lucy shivered?

“And you're a cherry blossom  
You're about to bloom  
You look so pretty, but you're gone so soon”

Unable to resist, Lucy danced, the energy of the song and the crowd around her sweeping her up and carrying her away. It had been a long time, but before she'd joined Fairy Tail, she'd often gone dancing. It came back as easily as riding a bike, and she wasn't the only one doing it. He'd probably deny it vehemently later, but she saw Gray bobbing his head and swaying in time as his friend launched into the chorus once more on stage. Juvia moved much more freely at his side, revealing moves that were as smooth and powerful as her element could be. 

Surprised by the other mage's skill, Lucy took the challenge when their eyes met and stepped up her game, throwing herself into the music much the way that Natsu had. The rose haired mage had broken out in a sweat as a result of the heat of the spotlights and his efforts singing. His skin glistened under the lights as his eyes slipped shut and his hand tightened around the microphone.

Normally Lucy would have been grossed out by the prospect of a sweaty Natsu, but somehow, looking up at him on stage, combined with the thunderous beat of the music, she found it indescribably sexy.

Surprised by the thought, Lucy shook herself sharply just as the music calmed and Natsu went very still, his eyes closed and head lowered as he sang:

“We've been here forever  
And here's the frozen proof”

The drums kicked in again, and Natsu raised his head sharply as one hand reached for the heavens, fingers splayed and grasping while one leg bounced in time to the beat.

“I could scream forever  
We are the poisoned youth”

Natsu's raised hand was tightened into a fist as he pulled it down again and tore into the final round through the chorus.

“Some legends are told  
Some turn to dust or to gold  
But you will remember me  
Remember me for centuries  
And just one mistake  
Is all it will take.  
We'll go down in history  
Remember me for centuries  
Hey, hey, hey  
We'll go down in history  
Remember me for centuries...”

The music faded, and Natsu was left panting breathlessly on the stage, seeming surprised by the arrival of the song's end. The crowd of mages erupted into a deafening round of applause, making him grin and laugh self-consciously. He went to leave the stage when he caught sight of Lucy waving at him.

“You have to pick the next singer!” she shouted over the cacophony, hands clamped firmly over her ears in an attempt to block out the noise.

“Oh, right!” he said, pausing and looking around. Spotting a perfect victim, Natsu grinned evilly and brought the mic up once more to say “Let's go, Macao,” as he pointed at his fellow fire mage. The older man blanched, but after some shouts of encouragement from Wakaba and the crowd, he made his way up to the stage and accepted the microphone from Natsu.

“I don't know how the hell you expect me to follow that, brat,” the older mage said, shoving the dragon slayer jokingly, making the rose haired man grin shamelessly and salute him before grabbing his jacket and jumping off the stage to join his friends.

Lucy almost immediately grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him off towards a nearby table, their friends following along. Luckily, the original occupants were more than happy to vacate for them in the wake of Natsu's performance, so they were able to take a seat witout hassle.

The dragon slayer was glad of the chair as he lowered himself into it and tugged at his scarf to loosen it's stifling grip on his throat. The sensation of being hot was extremely odd for him. It wasn't as though he never sweat, obviously, so much as he normally had to be working very hard at a fight to even start. Finally he gave up and just stripped his scarf off all together and dropped it on the table, immediately feeling the better for it.

“Not gonna lie, man, that was pretty damn impressive,” Gray said as he took the seat across the table from him, spinning the chair around and straddling it so he could rest his arms on it's back.

“Juvia had no idea that Natsu could sing!” the water mage agreed, a little starry-eyed as she settled in next to Gray, while Erza grabbed the seat to his left.

“Color me impressed,” Erza agreed, an amused smile on her fair features “Lucy was asking if you had a musical career you've been keeping from us, and I can't help but wonder the same thing.”

“What? As if,” Natsu said with a startled laugh at the very thought as the blonde in question took the chair next to him, flushed with exertion and still grinning from her time dancing. Her normally pristine golden hair had come loose of her ponytail in a few places, leaving some of the finer hairs to curl delicately around her heart shaped face in a way that he found captivating. All the dancing and energy in the room had made the temperature jump several degrees, and he wasn't the only one who had broken a sweat during his song. As his blonde friend wiped absently at a stray bit of moisture along her hairline, Natsu was briefly diverted by thoughts of tongue baths and how wonderfully salty the girl smiling at him would probably taste right now...

Natsu turned his head sharply and coughed, dragging himself back from the brink of a very dangerous line of thought. Finding your best friend attractive, he realized, was incredibly distracting.

“You alright, Natsu?” Lucy asked worriedly, laying one hand on his forearm. He expected her to flinch back from his sweat dampened skin like she normally would, but was surprised when she didn't.

“Uh, yeah,” he said, clearing his throat “Must just be all the singing,” he added with an abashed grin.

“I'll go get some water!” Happy volunteered and flew off quickly towards the bar, where Mirajane was doing very brisk business.

“So, how often do you sing, Natsu?” Erza asked with a grin as she pushed a long strand of red hair back from her face.

“Pretty much never?” the rose haired mage admitted after a moment's thought, running one hand through his sweat dampened hair.

“Seriously? It sure didn't sound like it,” Lucy said, blinking up at him with wide brown eyes.

“Lucy, you see me practically every day. When do you think I'm supposedly getting all this singing time in?” Natsu said with an incredulous laugh, with which she joined in, shaking her head.

“I don't know, I still think he secretly goes to karaoke clubs to practice just for times like this,” Gray joked, and Juvia giggled.

Natsu snorted and quickly tried to turn the attention from him to his friend “What about you, Lucy? I didn't hear the beginning, but you were really good up there,” he told her with a grin.

“Ah, thanks,” she said, blushing prettily at the unexpected compliment “That song's an old favorite of mine, though I hadn't heard it in ages,” she admitted as she fiddled absently with Natsu's scarf.

“I hope I get a chance to sing,” Erza said, glancing hopefully around at the stage to where Macao was singing and old blues tune.

Lucy smiled at her red headed friend, recalling all too well her unexpected fondness for the stage. She couldn't help but wonder if the requip mage really liked singing at all, or if she just enjoyed being under the spotlight occasionally.

“Here you go, Natsu!” Happy said as he returned, fluttering carefully down onto the tabletop with a glass of water.

“Ah, you're a lifesaver, Happy!” the dragon slayer told his friend with a relieved smile as he picked up the glass and proceeded to drain it in one go.

In his eagerness, a little escaped the corner of his mouth, streaming down to his jaw, and then following the line of his throat until it was absorbed by the bandages that still bound his chest. Lucy watched it's progress, almost transfixed by the droplet as her fingers gripped her friend's scarf convulsively. Unconsciously, the woman opened her senses wide and took a deep breath. 

The guild was rife with the scent of sweat and hormones, which was a curious thing to realize, considering that before now, she'd no idea what hormones smelled like. Some primitive part of her brain told her that that was the heavy, almost erotic scent she was picking up in the air, though. The music from the stage was suddenly far too loud, but Lucy would swear she could hear the heart of every person in the place beating in time with the melody that sang through her veins. 

Despite feeling as though she were going to drown in the heavy pounding of the bass, and the aroma of animalistic need, perhaps the most distracting thing of all was the scent of the rose haired man beside her as he chatted obliviously with Erza. She couldn't make heads or tails of what he was saying, but the smell of him filled her nose and drew her in closer to him.

Most prevalent was the salt of his sweat, a sharp, though pleasant contrast to the familiar hint of herbs that she had come to associate with Natsu. Just under that, though, was the slight tang of copper that she instinctively identified as blood, no doubt from his bandages. Her eyes half-lidded, Lucy had to fight hard against the urge to lean in and run her tongue up the column of his throat to get a taste of him. The primal part of her that came closer to waking with every moment she left her senses open told her that this would be a far more efficient way to establish how her friend was truly feeling in that moment. After all, he may be able to lie to her with words, but his physiology sure couldn't.

“Natsu,” she hummed, voice low and husky so only he could hear.

Lucy's voice sent a thrill down the dragon slayer's spine when she said his name, practically right in his ear. Looking around at her in surprise, the thrill turned to a jolt when he caught sight of the expression on her face.

Her eyes were hooded and she was biting down on her full lower lip as she regarded him with an almost predatory gaze. His breath short as his heart leaped in his chest, Natsu felt transfixed by her eyes. Though normally a warm shade of brown, they now seemed almost amber, and for a moment the man wondered if it wasn't just the lighting. As he stared at her, she leaned in close and inhaled deeply, then exhaled slowly, as though picking apart his scent. Her breath against his collar bone was hot and made his skin tingle pleasantly, distracting him to the point he almost couldn't think straight.

When she growled quietly and leaned in yet closer, though, realization hit Natsu like a ton of bricks. Turning quickly to their friends, he said “Hey, I'm gonna take Lucy home, I don't think she's feeling well.”

“What?” Erza asked in surprise as the dragon slayer pushed back his chair and got to his feet, then proceeded to coax Lucy into doing the same. Looking at the girl more closely, though, it quickly became apparent that she certainly seemed rather out of it.

“You need help?” Gray offered, making Juvia pout disapprovingly. Even the water mage looked concerned after a moment's further examination of the blonde, though.

“Nah, I got it,” Natsu said, waving off their concern before turning to Happy as the cat started getting up reluctantly “You can stay, buddy, I've got this.”

“You're sure?” the exceed asked, glancing at Lucy, clearly concerned by the strangely intense look she was fixing on Natsu. She seemed totally oblivious to everything else around her.

“Yeah, I'll see you back at our place,” he said firmly as he grabbed his scarf, took Lucy by the arm, and lead her out the door.

The sun had just set, as evidenced by the lavender glow along the horizon as the stars started appearing in the sky above them. Natsu lead Lucy along the street towards her house for a block or two before stopping and taking her by the shoulders. 

He gave her a gentle shake and said “Lucy? Come on back, Luce,” snapping his fingers sharply in front of her face, frowning slightly “Take a deep breath,” he instructed, though immediately regretted his wording when she leaned into his personal space and did so deeply again “No, not of me, dammit, the night air! Clear your head. That crowd got to you, didn't it?”

Lucy blinked up at him in confusion, but did as she was told all the same. A moment later, the dragon slayer watched as her eyes shifted from their strange amber hue, back to familiar brown.

“Natsu?” Lucy asked, sounding much more herself as she looked around in confusion “When did we get outside? What happened?”

Natsu heaved a sigh of relief and released his hold on Lucy's shoulders “You left yourself open in there, didn't you?” he asked as he draped his scarf across his shoulders without wrapping it, still feeling too warm to want to do so.

“What?” she asked, pushing some hair back from her face absently as she looked up at him in confusion.

“Your senses,” Natsu clarified, going slowly as he realized she had probably never had such a problem before in her life “Hearing, smelling...you know, that stuff. You opened yourself up wide and didn't close back down again.”

Lucy thought hard for a moment, trying to understand what he was saying “I...yeah, yeah I guess I did,” she said slowly, deciding not to mention that she had been distracted by how nice he smelled again. That and all the hormones weighing down the air in there...that was just embarrassing “There was a lot going on.”

Natsu nodded and started walking, and she fell into step with him “I'm sorry I didn't warn you,” he said quietly as they moved past a few couples lingering in the long shadows of the surrounding buildings “You've got to be careful not to do that. It can be...overwhelming,” he said after a moment's thought “It's a balancing act, keeping yourself open enough to know if trouble is coming, and opening yourself up so much that you become overwhelmed.”

Unused to this strangely straight forward and candid Natsu, Lucy watched him curiously and asked “What happens if I get overwhelmed?”

Natsu wouldn't meet her eyes when he answered “It opens up a very primal part of your mind and lets it take over,” he explained “Your brain kinda...switches gears from human to animal, you stop thinking and start reacting instead. It can be useful for survival situations, but...”

“Yeah, no, I get it. I don't want to come to and find out I bit somebody or something,” Lucy said, grimacing at the thought.

The dragon slayer chuckled and nodded “Pretty much. You can snap out of it, but it can take awhile if you don't have external help.”

Lucy nodded and was quiet for a minute before asking “Has it happened to you before?”

“Yeah, though not since before Igneel left,” he said, eyes drifting up to the sky above them where the moon was starting to make it's ascent “I lost myself and disappeared off to live with a bunch of wolves for like...a week,” Natsu admitted, grinning at the memory. He didn't recall much of his time with his temporary pack, but he did remember Igneel's lecture when he'd finally wandered back, filthy and naked as the day he was born.

His confession startled a giggle out of Lucy, and he smiled at her, relieved to see that she was doing the same at him.

“So...you're not freaked out?” he asked, feigning unconcern as they turned onto her street.

Lucy hopped up onto the curb that ran along the canal, as was her habit while she thought. After a moment's consideration, she said “No. You were there to snap me out of it,” and smiled shyly at him before turning her attention back to her feet so she could watch her step “At least I didn't wind up running off with the wolves.”

“True. Finding a wolf pack here in town would be pretty impressive though,” he commented, drawing another laugh from his best friend, which made him grin.

A companionable silence settled over them as they walked down the quiet street, each simply enjoying the other's company without needing to fill the quiet with chatter. 

When they reached her house, Lucy hopped down from the canal's edge and turned to him, asking “You want to stay again?”

Though he dearly wanted to say yes, Natsu forced himself to shake his head “Nah, I'd better head back to my place and make sure I haven't been robbed again,” he said, only half joking. He told himself that that was most definitely not a disappointed look in his friend's eyes.

“I'll see you in the morning,” he told her, taking a step away from her as he did. If he didn't leave soon, he knew he'd convince himself that it was okay to stay another night. He couldn't though, not yet. Not after the realization he'd come to today. He needed to actually think for a change, and there was no way he'd be able to do that if he wound up in the same bed as her tonight. Thinking would be the last thing he'd want to do.

“Alright,” Lucy said, raising a hand in farewell. He returned the gesture and headed off down the street before she called after him “Hey wait, you have my keys, right?”

“They're safe with me,” he said, smiling at her over his shoulder as he patted the leather case where it sat on his belt. It's weight on his hip was strange and unfamiliar, but he knew full well just how important to her they were.

Lucy smiled gratefully at him before impulsively adding “Your singing really was great tonight, Natsu!”

Though she couldn't see it, he grinned broadly to himself when he raised his hand in acknowledgment and disappeared into the dark.

When he was gone, Lucy let out a long breath before turning to let herself into her apartment.

Once inside, she kicked off her shoes and headed straight for the bathroom. Though she was back to normal after her strange deviation into a primitive mind set, her thoughts were still distractingly full of Natsu. A nice hot bath, that was what she needed...

As she sank into the hot water a few minutes later, though, the woman was quite disappointed. Despite all the steam rising from the surface, it barely registered as being above room temperature against her skin.

“What the hell?” she muttered with a frown as she turned to play with the faucet behind her. She turned the hot tap to full and stuck her hand under it, but it didn't feel any warmer.

For a moment, she nearly got out to go see if the water heater was broken, when the truth hit her.

“Aw man, you're kidding me!” she whined and sank more deeply into the water. It wasn't that the water wasn't hot, it was simply that she was hotter, thanks to her new magic “This sucks.”

After a minute's sulking in her lukewarm bath water, Lucy finished up and got out. She dried off quickly and got into her pajamas. At least she wouldn't have to worry about getting cold while she slept at night. Although, if she was being honest, she'd rather be cold and have Natsu come warm her up than be able to warm herself...

Shaking the thought from her mind, Lucy grabbed a book off her shelf and flopped down onto her bed to read for a bit before sleeping. A good historical fiction would surely take her mind off of a certain rose haired mage.

She wasn't more than a chapter into her book, though, when a strange creaking from above reached her ears. Turning to look up at the ceiling, she shrieked in surprise when it suddenly caved in and someone dropped through, destroying her table in the process.

“What the fuck!” she yelped, ready to tear into the idiot that had wrecked her living room “What do you think you're-”

Lucy didn't get to finish her sentence, though, as she was interrupted by the intruder suddenly lunging at her with a wicked looking blade.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, so remember back at the end of chapter six (I'm actually finishing this the same day I published that, lol) and I said that there were certain scenes in my head that I knew I wanted to happen before I knew how to make them happen? Well, Natsu singing Fall Out Boy's 'Centuries' was one of those XD Honestly, I almost just made it a one shot of it's own, but finally decided against it. I'm simply not the type of writer that can make two characters get together without significant interaction in different environments first, and this absurd, but very fun scene went pretty well towards that goal, I think.  
> I know I'm far from the first person to write about the guild doing karaoke, but I do feel like it's pretty uncommon for Natsu to actually be good at it (from the ones I've read anyways, haha). Listening to 'Centuries', I felt it was just a perfect song for Natsu, so I couldn't resist. Lucy's song was 'Fidelity' by Regina Specktor.  
> I definitely took some liberties with the technology involved with the karaoke machine. Fairy Tail is super random with the kind of tech you find in that world, so I just said screw it and made a magical karaoke machine. I mean, we're talking about a world where there's a clock/giant mechanical fish that can warp humanity's perception of time itself...I'm pretty sure they could manage karaoke.
> 
> Sorry for this way long AN, haha. Please leave a review if you enjoyed! They keep my muse flowing and the chapters updating!


	11. Cream and Sugar

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I want to say thank you so much for all the wonderful reviews I got this week!You guys are amazing, seriously ;-; Getting such wonderful feedback really makes it easier to keep writing. I hope you don't think me selfish as I ask you to keep it up! You benefit when I keep writing after all, right? XD
> 
> Also, sorry this is a day late over here on AO3 again. I wound up editing this chapter halfway from my phone while on lunch at work rather than at home like I usually do, so I forgot to post this here as well as on FF >__>;
> 
> That aside, extra long chapter today! Broke my record on chapter length again. This is getting to be a dangerous habit lol. Enjoy!

Lucy rolled immediately to one side, and her attacker's blade buried itself in the mattress. Without thinking, she swung around and bashed the man in the head with her book, the force behind the blow making him go rag-doll and collapse across her bed.

Breathing hard as adrenaline flooded her system, Lucy climbed off her bed and got a good look at the person who had tried to ambush her. They were definitely male, and dressed all in fitted, dark blue clothing. He wore a wrapped mask of the same color to hide his features.

She reached out hesitantly to pull it off in hopes of finding out who had just tried to kill her, when a faint click reached her ears. Lucy dove to one side just in time to avoid the gunshot someone had aimed at the back of her head from the new hole in her ceiling.

The blonde tucked and rolled when she landed, then propelled herself forward into the kitchen, hiding behind the doorjamb as more bullets traced her path. She briefly considered grabbing a knife, but quickly decided against it. She and Yukino hadn't covered using weapons of any sort so far, and one thing the other woman had been quite clear on was that she should never pick up a weapon she didn't know how to use. She'd just wind up getting it taken away and used against her.

After all, having Natsu's magic didn't make her a good fighter, it just made her stronger.

Taking a deep breath, Lucy peeked briefly around the door frame, and quickly pulled her head back, just in time to avoid taking a bullet in the forehead. Instead, the stray ballistic took out a chunk of the door, making her yelp and shout “Quit blowing holes in my freaking apartment!”

For all it had only been for a split second, Lucy had been able to count two people on the floor, and a third already descending from the ceiling during her glance into the main room. She was impressed. Apparently Natsu's magic didn't just make her stronger, her eyesight seemed to be considerably keener as well, making her capable of picking out little details in only a fraction of a second. No wonder he was so good at predicting people's movements in a fight!

Lucy's mind worked quickly, thinking up and discarding multiple plans before finally settling on one. She'd gotten a lot better at fighting hand to hand of late, but she still knew she wasn't good enough to take on three armed assailants, however strong she might be. So, instead, she reached for the magic burning hot at her core.

'Please just work with me here, and don't burn down my apartment,' she prayed silently as she took a deep breath, and instinctively funneled the wild power that answered her call into her lungs.

The woman leaned around the door and shouted “Fire Dragon's Roar!”

The resulting inferno engulfed the three men who had been cautiously creeping towards the kitchen, making them shriek in surprise and pain. Lucy gagged and coughed painfully when the flames finally died down, leaving her throat raw and her mouth tasting of charcoal.

She got herself under control just in time to hear one of the men in the other room say “Retreat, we obviously have the wrong intel. Grab him and regroup back at base.”

“Hey wait!” she rasped as she dashed into the room just in time to see the last man disappearing up through the hole in her ceiling, their fourth unconscious member slung over his shoulder “You could at least clean up!” she shouted after them, only to break into a spasm of coughing once more.

She pushed on, though, sprinting across the room and then leaping effortlessly up through her new skylight. She flew up, and landed on a more stable part of the roof, looking around desperately for the intruders. When she couldn't see them anywhere on the surrounding rooftops, she hurried to the edge in the hopes of spotting them somewhere on the streets below.

With no luck there, Lucy hesitated, and then inhaled deeply, hoping to catch some scent that she might use to track them down. All she could smell, though, was the same char she tasted in her mouth. Apparently her technique hadn't been quite right on her attack.

Cursing silently, Lucy finally gave it up for a loss and dropped back down through the hole in her roof once more. She nearly slipped on some of the table fragments when she landed, but managed to catch her balance.

Now that she was no longer occupied with chasing down the animals that had attacked her, the former celestial mage was able to get a good look at the state of her apartment. It was a mess, to say the least, but while things were a bit singed, there was minimal fire damage. Luckily she had a pretty open floor plan, and her attackers had been in the center of the room still when she attacked.

Still, there was a gaping hole in her roof, a deep gash in her mattress, and chunks of wall plaster everywhere. Not to mention her poor table. Lucy sat tiredly on the edge of her bed, wishing she could just lie down and go to sleep. She couldn't, though, she had to make a plan. After all, who knew if those guys might be coming back with reinforcements? That meant she had to get out ASAP.

Where to go, though?

Her first thought was immediately Natsu and Happy's place, but she quickly decided against it. While she would feel safe there with her best friends, it would leave them isolated on the outskirts of town with no one to call for help. If she was followed there and they were attacked in force...she wasn't sure they'd be able to fight them off. After all, neither of them had full control of their new magic, though Lucy didn't doubt that Natsu would have an easier time using her magic than she his. Celestial spirit magic was just so much more cooperative...

Maybe she was over-thinking all this? After all, the intruders had said that they had the wrong intel...had they been expecting to find someone else in her apartment?

With too many unknown variables, Lucy decided to go with her initial plan of leaving. Just because she wasn't the person they were looking for, didn't mean that they might not come back and start asking questions she had no interest in answering.

Having made up her mind, Lucy grabbed up her backpack and dumped it out on her bed. The dirty clothes from her trip were discarded there and she refilled it with clean ones and a few necessities, including their reward money and her whip. That done, she got dressed and searched out a pen and two pieces of paper. On one, she wrote a note to her landlady. Luckily the woman was out of town for the week, but on the off chance she came back early, Lucy figured it was a good idea to leave a note making her excuses.

On the second, she wrote a note for Natsu and Happy. She had no doubt that they'd be by first thing in the morning, and she didn't want them to worry when they arrived to find her apartment empty and totally wrecked. When she was done, she left it out on her desk with her friends' names written in big, bold letters to make sure they saw it.

As she left, she paused outside her landlady's door and stuck her note between the door and the frame so she could take it back later if she wanted, then hurried off into the night. The guild would no doubt have emptied out by now, so she headed for the next place with the densest population of friendly mages she could think of.

Fairy Hills.

* * *

As he lay in his hammock that night, Natsu decided that not having his magic really sucked. It was hard enough dealing with the fact that he was weaker and slower than usual, but now he was cold. Being cold, he realized, was absolutely miserable.

Considering that it wasn't something he'd ever really had to deal with in the past, the only blanket he owned was a light one, more fore keeping any stray breezes off than actually keeping him warm. Who needed blankets when you could literally breathe fire?

To combat this lack of bedding, Natsu had decided to light the rarely used fireplace. It wasn't one of the big open ones like at Lucy's, but it did function to warm the house. Unfortunately...he didn't own any matches.

So he'd given up and gone straight to bed. Happy had returned shortly after, and Natsu had managed to convince his furry friend to sleep with him for a change. Now the exceed was half sprawled across his chest, snoring quietly, warming his friend more effectively than his thin blanket.

As the dragon slayer hovered on the edge of sleep, he found himself wishing that he'd stayed at Lucy's place after all. Her bed would be nice and warm for sure. Normally he eschewed the blankets that she insisted on wrapping herself in, but tonight he certainly wouldn't object to crawling under them with her. He'd never admitted it to anyone, but he found sleeping curled up around her deeply restful. Something about her warm presence in his arms put him right to sleep. He always waited patiently for her to doze off first though, often feigning sleep himself before rolling over to wrap himself around her. As far as he knew, he'd yet to be found out.

Now, though, he knew why sleeping with her was so restful. He'd never understood before, simply come up with excuses and opportunities to wind up in her bed after that first time, craving that fleeting sense of peace. She was the most precious person in the world to him, rivaling only Happy in his affections, of course having her close to him made him sleep more soundly.

The love he felt for the exceed, though, was completely different from the one he felt for Lucy. Happy was a small, furry brother he could always count on to have his back. Lucy was...

Natsu's sleep fogged brain shied away from trying to define just what the girl was to him, and focused on the feelings she evoked instead.

They were not unlike what he had felt for Lisanna, when they were children. He'd had a fondness for the youngest Strauss that went beyond friendship, but had never quite blossomed into more before she had 'died'. If his feelings for her had been a sprout of possibility, then the ones he held in his heart for Lucy were a tall, deeply rooted tree. Cut it down to a stump and still the roots would remain, coiled inseparably throughout him always.

* * *

The next morning dawned bright and clear, making Natsu groan resentfully as the sunlight poured in through his window to wake him. The dragon slayer remained sprawled in his hammock for a long minute, feeling resentful towards the entire world as he stared up at the ceiling.

He felt as though he had only just gotten to sleep after a long night's tossing and turning. The chill that permeated his house had made it impossible for him to get comfortable.

“Natsu, you up?” Happy asked, landing on his friend's chest.

The rose haired man groaned again and slung one arm over his eyes “No,” he grumbled.

The exceed fluttered away into the air, giggling “It's like trying to wake Lucy...I guess your magic really made the difference in how easy it was to wake up, huh?” Happy teased “It's already ten, you know.”

“Remind me to apologize for dragging her out of bed every morning for the last year when we see her later,” Natsu mumbled as he lowered his arm from his eyes and dragged his hands tiredly down his face.

“Wait, what time did you say it was?” he rasped as he pushed himself into a seated position, hammock wobbling precariously.

“Ten,” Happy said as he finished up the last of the fish he had apparently been eating for breakfast.

“Crap, seriously? Why didn't you wake me sooner?” Natsu demanded as he rolled out of his hammock and hit the floor in a graceless heap. He still had good reflexes without his magic, but apparently those went out the window when he didn't get much in the way of sleep.

“Well, it's not like we promised to be anywhere,” Happy said with a careless shrug “Plus you looked tired.”

“I am tired,” Natsu huffed from the floor, but quickly pushed himself up and headed for the bathroom.

The bathroom in his house was much more spartan than the one at Lucy's, which had the luxury of both a shower and a bath. The dragon slayer only had the former, and he was about to get in when he realized his torso was still covered in bandages.

“Dammit,” he muttered, looking at himself in the mirror that hung over the sink. It was smeared with who knew what, and he had to wet his hand and wipe the reflective surface down before he could get a good look at himself. There were faint circles under his eyes, and his hair was sticking up even more crazily than usual. He really wanted to take a shower, but he couldn't do so with his bandages still on, and he couldn't change them himself, even with Happy's help.

Mark up yet another reason he ought to have stayed over at Lucy's last night.

With a sigh, Natsu went about the task of washing only his hair by sticking his head under the shower with a towel over his shoulders to keep his bandages from getting wet. The sweating he'd done the night previous made them itch enough as it was without adding water into the mix. That done, he had a make-shift sponge bath for the rest of him.

When he came out of the bathroom and got dressed, he felt a little more awake, at least, even if he hadn't had the proper shower he'd been hoping for. He wasn't as keen on baths as Lucy was, but even he had to admit that one could really help a person wake up.

Grabbing up his jacket and Lucy's keys, Natsu called to Happy “Oi, lets go! Lucy's gonna chew us a new one if we keep her waiting all day.”

“What about breakfast?” the exceed asked as he flew out the door ahead of Natsu, who shut it firmly behind them, and locked it. After his stay on Tenrou Island, the dragon slayer had learned that locks could be quite useful.

“I'll get something later at the guild,” he said simply, and Happy stared at him. It hit him, then, just how odd it was that he would say such a thing.

“We really need to get your magic back, Natsu,” his friend mused as they started off towards town.

“No joke, I miss not being cold,” he complained.

* * *

When they reached Lucy's place, Natsu went through the main door, which was generally left unlocked during the day. Jogging up the left staircase, the dragon slayer knocked on Lucy's door. When there was no answer, he knocked again, only to be met with silence.

“Maybe she already went ahead to the guild?” Happy suggested.

“I dunno, maybe. Not like her to do that without us agreeing to it first, though. She's probably in the bath,” Natsu reasoned, then banged on the door again and shouted “Lucy, it's Natsu and Happy, we're coming in!”

“You don't normally announce yourself,” the exceed observed curiously as his friend tried the knob.

“Yeah, well, Lucy can't usually set me on fire either,” Natsu countered as the door proved to be unlocked, and he pushed it open before them.

Happy gasped, and Natsu's heart stopped at the sight that met them when they stepped into the entryway. Lucy's normally neat and tidy apartment had been utterly trashed. There was a gaping hole in the ceiling over where the table used to be, making it obvious that someone had broken in from above.

“Lucy?!” Natsu called as he hurried in and glanced around for any sign of his friend among the debris. Panic scratched at the back of his mind, his heart pounding as he made for the kitchen, dark eyes noting the bullet holes in the walls and door frame, and the minor fire damage to some of the furniture. There was no sign of Lucy within the darkened room, so he immediately turned and headed for the bathroom, only to be disappointed there as well. Out of habit, he tried sniffing in an attempt pick up Lucy's scent, but his now unremarkable nose just came up with the smell of smoke and dust, making him sneeze.

“Natsu!” Happy called.

“Did you find something?” the dragon slayer asked as he ducked back into the room hurriedly, almost running into his friend head first.

“A note!” the exceed said, holding it out for inspection.

Natsu immediately snatched it from him and looked it over. It was on a piece of Lucy's notebook paper, and had his and Happy's names written on the front in big, bold letters. Flipping it open, he found his friend's familiar handwriting. It was sloppier than usual, though, indicating she had been in some haste as he read:

Dear Natsu and Happy,

First off, despite how bad the apartment looks, I'm totally fine.

The feeling of relief that washed over Natsu as he read the words was enough to make his knees weak. Taking a step back, he sat on the edge of her bed and continued reading.

Before I went to bed last night, a bunch of masked guys blew a hole in my ceiling and attacked me. I fought them off and they ran. I don't know why, though, I think I wasn't who they were expecting...

Anyways, I went to stay with Erza and the girls. Meet me there when you find this.

Love,  
Lucy

“Well is she alright?” Happy asked anxiously, and Natsu passed him the letter to read for himself.

Taking a deep breath, Natsu got to his feet again and took the letter back when the exceed finished reading it. Without thinking, he put it in his pocket and headed out the door.

“'I went to stay with Erza and the girls'...that's kind of an odd way to say she went to Fairy Hills,” Happy observed as he flew at Natsu's side while the man set a quick pace towards the dormitories.

“She was probably worried those guys might come back,” Natsu said after giving it a moment's consideration. Honestly he hadn't thought twice about the wording the first time he'd read it. Now that he did, though, he had to applaud her for her forethought. He knew she was the smart one of the group.

* * *

“You're sure you're alright?” Levy asked for the millionth time as she, Lucy, and Erza sat down in the common room.

“Positive, not even a scratch on me,” Lucy reassured her friend with a patient smile as she sipped at the cup of tea Erza had made for her. She had arrived late last night and gone straight to the red head's room and explained things. Levy, on the other hand, had only just heard the full story.

“And you're certain that's all they said?” Erza said as she added some sugar to her own cup and sipped it experimentally.

“Yeah,” the former celestial spirit mage said with a sigh “They apparently had the wrong intel and they were going to head back to base or whatever, and then they were gone. I tried to chase them but I swear they must have teleported or something.”

“And you couldn't...” Levy tapped the side of her nose to imply that she should have tried to sniff them out.

“I tried,” Lucy admitted with a grimace “But I think I did the roar of the fire dragon wrong. My throat was killing me after and I couldn't smell or taste anything but char.”

“Interesting,” Erza said, raising her eyebrows thoughtfully “I wonder if that's normal for Natsu.”

“Dunno,” the blonde said with a helpless shrug “It's definitely not a question that occurred to me to ask before,” she added with a chuckle as she reached for one of the finger sandwiches Erza had put out on a plate for them to share, and popped it in her mouth.

“I assume you're better now,” Levy mused as she watched her friend savor her mouthful.

“Yeah, that's one nice thing about Natsu's magic. He heals crazy fast,” the blonde said, looking once more at the palms of her hands. The deep gashes that should have left permanent scarring on her pale skin had completely faded.

“So, will you be sad to switch back?” Erza asked curiously “His magic definitely has it's perks. There are many mages that would do anything to be in your shoes right now.”

Lucy immediately shook her head to the negative “No,” she said firmly “I may not be as strong, or as fast as Natsu, or have crazy healing factor and the ability to level a city on a whim...but that's okay. This kind of power is dangerous,” she said quietly, feeling the heat of it surging just beneath her skin, just begging to be released “Natsu can be careless, but I wouldn't trust anyone else with this kind of strength.”

It wasn't just the fact that Natsu used dragon slaying magic, a rare, and particularly destructive branch of magic, either. It was the raw power he possessed, which now belonged to her. He could have chosen any branch of spellwork and been a force to be reckoned with. The fact that he was a dragon slayer was just icing on the cake.

“Not even yourself?” the requip mage asked thoughtfully as she regarded her younger friend steadily from where she sat.

“Not even myself,” Lucy said quietly. A small, but earnest smile spread across her features as she added “To control this power...I can feel now that it's not just about your strength of will, but about the strength of your heart,” one hand went to the left side of her chest where she could just make out her own beating steadily “And Natsu has the strongest heart of anyone I've ever met.”

The three women were quiet for a moment, before Erza broke the silence “Well said, Lucy. I couldn't agree more,” she said with a fond smile “Don't sell yourself short, though. You may not be as strong as him, but you see with a clarity he does not.”

Lucy blinked at her friend, weighing her words “Thank you,” she said finally.

“That was so lovely, Lucy,” Levy said, surprising her friend when she dabbed at the corners of her eyes.

“W-what? I was just...” the blonde blushed while her two friends laughed good-naturedly.

She didn't get to say anything else on the matter, though, as the front doors promptly burst open with a bang, and Natsu sprinted into the dorms with Happy hot on his heels.

“Lucy!” he shouted breathlessly and skid to a stop as the girl in question leaped to her feet.

“Natsu! What's wrong?” she asked, convinced that he brought some terrible news to be running in at full blast like that.

“What?” he asked, confused by her concern “You're the one that-”

“Natsu,” Erza interrupted evenly as she got to her feet and moved around the table.

“Eh?” he asked, glancing around at the red head, having to tear his gaze from his partner to do so. The fact that there were two other women in the room hadn't even registered until that moment.

“No boys allowed in the dormitory,” she said firmly as she picked him up by the back of his shirt and threw him right back out the door he had just run in through.

“Erza!” Lucy and Levy both objected as Natsu flew through the air with a shout.

“What do you think you're doing?!” Lucy demanded angrily of the red head as she charged past her to find Natsu “He's still injured!”

The requip mage winced apologetically and said “I'm sorry, I forgot. It's an old habit,” as she followed the other girl out, Levy on her tail.

“Natsu, are you okay?” Lucy asked worriedly as she hurried over to where the dragon slayer was picking himself up off the ground.

“Yeah, I'm not that fragile,” he grumbled.

Lucy grimaced, realizing she must have pricked his pride, and said “I'm sorry, I didn't mean...”

The rose haired mage shook himself and smiled down at her “Nah, just ignore me. Didn't get a lot of sleep last night,” he said ruefully.

“Were your injuries hurting you?” the blonde asked worriedly as she tugged open his jacket and vest to look at his torso without so much as a by-your-leave.

“Oi,” he complained, but didn't interfere with her inspection. He did, however, go stock still when she ran her hands down his chest, checking for any places where the bandages might have shifted. He took a deep breath as he looked down at the top of her head. She smelled nice, today, like her usual floral shampoo. He was disappointed to realize that he still wasn't able to detect that underlying sweet, warm smell that was so uniquely Lucy, though. Maybe if he got a little closer...

“Well, you're not bleeding, so that's a good sign,” the blonde said with a relieved smile up at him. When she realized that this practically brought them nose to nose, though, she took a quick, embarrassed step back.

“How are you? I got tossed on my ass, but you're the one that got jumped by ninjas,” he pointed out with a laugh. Being so close to her had allowed him to reassure himself that she was unharmed. The fact that she was so clearly worried about him made his stomach flutter, but he ignored it.

“I'm fine, I wound up with a bit of a sore throat for awhile, but it was gone by the time I woke up,” Lucy said with a careless wave of a hand. The confused and worried look on Natu's face, though, made her clarify “I tried using the roar of the fire dragon,” she admitted, looking embarrassed “It definitely scared those guys off, but I must have done it wrong seeing as I wound up with a sore throat, and couldn't taste or smell anything but char til this morning.”

Understanding dawned across Natsu's features when Lucy explained. Her words immediately brought to mind the thought he'd had the night before last, when Lucy had nearly set herself on fire trying to find candles. For her safety, and that of everyone else around her, he would have to teach her how to use his magic correctly.

Rather than teasing her like she had been expecting, Natsu reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder, regarding her seriously as he said “Lucy, if Gramps doesn't have an answer for us today, I'm going to train you in how to use my magic. It's too dangerous for you to keep going like this...”

“What?” Lucy asked, jaw dropping in surprise at the dead serious look on her friend's face.

“I think it's a great idea,” Erza remarked as she approached and smiled apologetically “Sorry about earlier. None of your wounds re-opened?”

Natsu tsked and dropped his hand from Lucy's shoulder as Levy came to stand beside her “Listen to you lot, like a bunch of mother hens.”

“Is it just me, or is Natsu oddly grumpy?” Levy asked in a quiet aside to Lucy, who nodded her agreement while Happy chuckled.

“You should have seen him getting up this morning,” the exceed said, grinning and hovered out of Natsu's reach when the man made a grab for him.

“Shut up, Happy!”

“Come on, Natsu, I've just the thing to make you feel better, I promise,” Lucy told her friend with a grin as she pushed him gently back down the path towards the guild.

“What is it?” the dragon slayer asked suspiciously, though allowed himself to be guided by her hand on his shoulder.

“Coffee, of course!”

* * *

When the group reached the guild, they split up and went their different ways. Erza went to find out if the Master had returned yet, while Levy went in search of her team, and Happy flew off to see if Carla was about after missing her the night before.

Lucy led the way over to the bar, and settled herself cheerfully at it while Natsu slid onto the stool next to her.

“Lucy, I don't even like coffee,” Natsu said, wrinkling his nose as his friend ordered two cups from Mira.

“Yeah, well, that was before, right? Bet you five jewel that's changed,” she teased with a wink “Did you eat?”

Remembering that he hadn't, Natsu turned to Mirajane as she placed a mug of the hot, bitter drink before him and asked “Hey, there anything left for eating Mira?”

The white haired mage hummed thoughtfully as she placed a little pitcher of cream and a bowl of sugar on the counter between them.

“Well, we're kinda between meal times right now, but I could probably whip up some pancakes real quick, if you like?” she offered with a smile.

“Sounds great,” Natsu beamed at the woman. It'd mean having pancakes two days in a row, but he was hardly the type to care about that sort of thing. Besides, pancakes were delicious.

Turning his attention to the cup in front of him once the other woman had left, he sniffed it experimentally, then picked it up to give it a try. His effort was intercepted, though, when Lucy unexpectedly placed her hand over the rim of his cup just as he went to take a sip, resulting in his lips brushing her fingers.

Glancing over at her in confusion, he asked “What?” as he ignored the urge to grab her hand and bring her fingers to his lips once more

Lucy withdrew her hand and answered quickly “Well, you'll probably prefer it with cream and sugar,” she told him, turning to her own mug to hide her blush. She had decided to wear her hair loose that day, so she tilted her head down to allow the golden strands to fall in a curtain between them as she fixed her coffee.

Natsu watched her deftly stir in two spoons of sugar, and a splash of cream from the little ceramic pitcher Mirajane had given them. Her pale hands seemed so graceful as they went about their task, each gesture precise and delicate as a result of what he could only assume was years of practice.

Realizing he was staring, the dragon slayer shook himself and mimicked her, adding two spoonfuls of sugar and some cream to his cup. He blinked when she offered him the spoon, and took it gently, his calloused fingers brushing hers in the process.

“Thanks,” he said, and she finally turned to look at him, smiling as she brushed her long hair back behind one ear so he could see her face fully once more.

“You look nice with your hair down,” Natsu blurted out randomly. He swore at himself internally as he watched her eyes widen in surprise, wondering what the hell he was thinking, saying stuff like that out of left field. He hurriedly turned his attention to his coffee and stirred it a little too vigorously, making it slop over the rim of his ceramic mug.

“Really?” Lucy asked, utterly surprised by the idea of Natsu actually having an opinion on how she wore her hair. For some reason...it made her happy “Thanks,” she said, unable to help the sunny smile that spread over her face before she took a drink of her coffee.

Natsu nodded and quickly took a sip of his own in an attempt to hide the color that had come into his cheeks when she smiled at him like that. It used to be that such a thing would just make him smile in return. Now he wanted to grin like an idiot and do whatever it took to make make her look at him like that just one more time.

“So how is it?” she asked, watching him with curious brown eyes.

“Huh?” he asked dumbly before realizing what it was she was talking about “Oh!” he took another sip when he realized that the taste hadn't even registered the first time. This time around, he paid attention to the flavor of the drink as it rolled over his tongue. Unlike his previous taste tests, Natsu relished the heat of it, and actually found himself enjoying the dark flavor of the liquid, and the way it was accentuated by the mellow cream and sweet sugar. Altogether, it was a symphony of awesome in his mouth that made him glance down at his cup in surprise.

“Is this the same stuff as before?” he asked disbelievingly after he had swallowed, quickly going in for another taste.

Lucy just laughed and nodded “Yeah. I guess maybe the magic of coffee just doesn't really register when you've got the magical equivalent of fifty cups flowing through you all the time,” she mused, glancing down at her own cup as Mirajane arrived with Natsu's pancakes. It was true that she still enjoyed the flavor now, but it just didn't pack the same punch that it had before she had inherited Natsu's magic.

“Is it magic?” Natsu asked innocently as he put his cup down close at hand in favor of pulling his breakfast towards him and digging in “Thanks Mira,” he told the silver haired mage with a grateful grin.

“No problem, Natsu,” she replied before heading back to the kitchen once more.

“Not in a literal sense,” Lucy answered his question with a smile once the other woman had gone. Glancing up from her cup, she saw her friend halfway through his first pancake, though he had stopped, and was examining his next bite critically “Something wrong?” she asked curiously.

“I've always liked Mirajane's pancakes,” he said aloud, frowning as he inserted the bite into his mouth, chewed, then swallowed.

“And?” the blonde prompted, arching an eyebrow at him.

“Dunno, they're just not as good as yours,” he said with a sigh and took another bite before asking “What do you have to say for yourself, Lucy? You ruined pancakes for me.”

“What?!” Lucy demanded, nearly spitting her coffee at the ridiculous accusation.

“Yep,” Natsu said with a solemn nod “Now you're going to have to make me pancakes all the time to make up for it,” he added, grinning wickedly at her before polishing off the last few bites.

“Y-you!” the girl stammered, torn between being annoyed, and flattered by her best friend's assertion.

She didn't get a chance to add anything, though, as Happy arrived and said “Hey, Erza sent me to find you! The Master came back! He's waiting to talk to us up in the S-class area.”

“Seriously?” Natsu asked, jumping up from his seat excitedly, pausing only to gulp down the rest of his coffee as Lucy got to her feet “Gah! Hot!”

“It is fresh coffee, Natsu,” the former celestial mage said with a snort of amusement, even as her stomach twisted itself into a knot at the prospect of talking to Makarov. It wasn't meeting with their Master that worried her, so much as the idea that he might not have an answer to their predicament.

Picking up on her worry, Natsu reached out to Lucy and squeezed her hand reassuringly “Don't worry. Gramps will be able to help.”

She nodded and smiled, and together, all three of them hurried up the stairs to the S-class mage area.

Lucy hadn't been up there more than a couple of times, considering she wasn't an S-class mage herself. Not only that, but pretty much everyone preferred spending time with the group down in the main portion of the hall these days. Even Laxus.

It was furnished much the same way as the rest of the guild was, though everything seemed a little bit nicer. Most likely because, since few spent much time there, the furniture hadn't been destroyed and repaired a million times. Even with magic, that sort of wear and tear became obvious after awhile.

Makarov was seated casually on the edge of one of the tables, with Erza standing off to one side as Natsu, Lucy, and Happy arrived. It was obvious that he had just come from a council meeting, as his dress was much more formal than his usual, with his white, fur lined coat tossed over a nearby chair.

“So, Erza tells me you've got a problem,” the Master said, looking at them quizzically. With most of his brats (especially Natsu and his friends) it usually came down to them causing problems, rather than having them.

Lucy wondered just what it was the council had wanted to see him about. Whatever it was, it appeared to have put him in a much more somber and straight forward mood than was his norm.

“You can say that again, Gramps,” Natsu said with a put-upon sigh as he folded his arms behind his head casually “First there was this stupid monster, then there was the star thing, and now Lucy and I-”

“Uh, Natsu, maybe let Lucy tell it,” Happy interjected, exasperated by the dragon slayer's attempt at story telling.

Makarov, who's attention had been grabbed by the extent of the bandages wrapped around Natsu's torso, turned to Lucy expectantly.

Erza gave the blonde mage an encouraging smile, and Lucy sighed. Deciding not to waste time, she launched into her third telling of the story, leaving out the portion where she drowned, but including the bit where she accidentally made her wish on the star artifact.

By the time she was done, the Fairy Tail Master was staring at the trio.

The silenced stretched expectantly for a long minute before the old man finally managed to say “So you two...”

“Had our magic switched,” Natsu supplied, raising his eyebrows at Makarov and grinning a little at the expression on his face.

“So now...”

“I'm a dragon slayer,” Lucy said with a grimace “and he's a celestial spirit mage with all my spirit contracts.”

“That's just...not possible,” Makarov said slowly, his words making Lucy's stomach tighten with dread. This was not the reaction either of them had been hoping for.

To drive the point home, though, the blonde looked down at her hand and took a deep breath, imagining a flame hovering above her palm. Natsu's magic surged forward, eager to answer her call, but she quickly reigned it in. She'd learned her lesson after the first time in her darkened apartment. She had to limit how much magic came out, or else she'd wind up going up like a torch again. Natsu's powers were just a little too eager to come out and play.

To her delight, a fist sized flame flickered to life and hovered over her palm. Grinning excitedly, she turned to Natsu, who smiled back. The pride in his eyes surprised, and touched her, making Lucy flush happily before holding the flame out for Makarov to inspect.

The old man made an awed sound, and hopped off the table. Approaching Lucy, he gently took her wrist in his hand and pulled it down so he could get a better look at the flame, then turned his eyes up to meet hers. For a long moment, the blonde mage felt as though he were seeing right through her eyes and down into her magical core, driving home in a way that even his extreme shows of power could not, that he was a Wizard Saint. It was a strange feeling to know that such an intimate part of her was under scrutiny. Still, she trusted Makarov, so she did not avert her gaze.

“So it's true,” he murmured, releasing her hand and turning away from Lucy, who felt a little dazed after he broke eye contact with her.

Natsu placed a hand on her lower back to steady her, and she smiled gratefully at him before turning her attention back to their Master “So, do you know how to fix us?” she asked, still holding out hope that he might have an answer.

Makarov hummed and stroked his mustache as he paced, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, and Erza watching his every move. Eventually though, he said “I'm sorry, kids, I have never heard of something like this in all my days. Having your magic pulled out by the roots and transplanted into someone else...it's a theoretical impossibility.”

Lucy's eyes slipped shut in disappointment, her heart sinking. Without thinking, she reached out and grasped Natsu's hand in hers for reassurance, and held it tightly, letting the sensation of his skin against hers act as an anchor.

The dragon slayer's stomach twisted dreadfully as his Master admitted his ignorance. Makarov always had the answer “Gramps, there's gotta be something,” Natsu said, only to be shut down by the old man shaking his head sadly.

“I'll do all I can to help, but that's all I can promise,” Makarov said, then broke into a smile “Don't give up, brats. We'll get you sorted if I have to throttle every one of the Ten Wizard Saints to find out how.”

Seeing the distress on her young friends faces, Erza spoke up and said “Don't loose hope. Even if you no longer have your own magic, you can always re-learn your old spells. After all, there's nothing saying that Natsu could have never used celestial spirit magic in the first place, or Lucy dragon slayer magic.”

Natsu and Lucy's expressions brightened at this idea, only to have Makarov cut it down with a vehemence that startled all of them.

“Absolutely not.”

“Eh? Why not?” Natsu asked, annoyed at having this one flicker of hope from an altogether hopeless meeting snuffed out before his eyes.

“Listen, and listen closely,” the Master said, staring up at them with none of his usual good humor evident on his weathered features “Until both of you learn how to control one another's magic, trying to learn any new spells could backfire dangerously.”

“What? How?” Lucy asked, taken aback by the idea. Sure, learning multiple schools of magic wasn't precisely common. It was quite difficult, after all...but to call learning anything new outright dangerous, that was surprising.

The old master hummed thoughtfully as he shoved his hands in his pockets and seemed to search for the simplest explanation “This is complicated theory, but I'll try to boil it down to the simplest points for you,” he said, eyes flicking to Natsu, who looked offended.

“Hey!”

“Shut up and listen, brat,” Makarov said, and the dragon slayer subsided, grumbling under his breath, but listening all the same.

“The very first time you begin to learn how to use magic, your raw, unschooled power shapes itself to your needs, whether that be dragon slaying, summoning celestial spirits, or requiping weapons.”

“Like a canal used to direct the flow of water,” Erza interjected, immediately catching on to where her master was going with this.

“Right,” the Master agreed with a nod “So your power will settle into one shape as you grow and master one school of magic, as you both already have. When you decide to lean a new type of magic on top of that, though, the 'canal system' that your magic has settled into must be expanded, or changed. So long as you are familiar with, and have firm control of your power, this process is difficult, but generally not dangerous.”

The meaning behind the old man's words sank in for Lucy and she sighed, saying “But neither of us has true control of our magic right now. We're stuck with someone else's power, and that's unfamiliar and strange,” as she glanced down at the flame in her hand. It took a moment of focus, but she was able to banish it.

“Okay, so we just practice!” Natsu said eagerly “We can teach each other to control our magic, and then we can re-learn dragon slaying and celestial magic,” the rose haired mage said with a grin. When he glanced at Makarov, though, and saw the expression on his face, the smile dropped away.

“Theoretically yes, but...”

“But what?” Erza asked curiously as Lucy waited, her hopes already dying out in the face of Makarov's frown.

“You have to understand, this is all very unusual, and I've no solid proof to back up this idea,” the Master began, grimacing at his lack of knowledge. It certainly wasn't something he as accustomed to “I am concerned, though, that should you start to change and grow one another's magic...it might become impossible for them to switch back.”

Lucy and Natsu shared a horrified look at this idea.

“You think that if they learn a 'new' type of magic using the other's power, that it will become too entangled with their very being to be pulled back out again without causing damage,” Erza said slowly, finger tapping her chin thoughtfully.

“Precisely. As I said, though, I've no proof of this. I could be entirely wrong...”

“We won't, then,” Lucy said firmly after glancing back at her partner, who nodded his agreement “Not that I don't like Natsu's magic,” she said “but it's not...it's not mine. I can be patient and satisfy myself with just learning to control what I've got if it means not ruining my chances at getting my own magic back.”

“Right,” Natsu agreed grimly, one hand going absently to his chest. Having Lucy's magic with him wasn't bad, in fact, he often found it comforting. Having that gentle golden light resting just below his heart made him feel as though they were never really apart, like some piece of her soul had decided to take up residence next to his own. Still, though, a piece of his own had been cut out in the process, and sometimes he ached with the loss of it.

Makarov sighed and nodded “You know there is no way I can promise that you two will ever return to normal,” he said sadly “We'll try everything we can, but...don't get your hopes up too high. If nothing else, this could take years.”

Lucy bit her lip as the enormity of the situation filled her heart, bringing her to the brink of tears. To never be able to summon her friends again, to feel that bond with the stars singing in her very soul...

She nodded, and managed a weak smile “Thank you, Master,” then headed for the stairs, wiping her eyes fiercely and taking a deep breaths to keep herself under control.

“Gramps,” Natsu began, voice rough with emotion as he stepped towards Makarov, unaccustomed to hearing the old man sound so hopeless on any matter. He stopped, though, when the old man held up a hand and shook his head.

“I've told you all there is to tell, Natsu. Now go,” he said firmly, his eyes flicking from the rose haired boy before him, to the blonde disappearing quickly down the stairs “She needs you.”

A pained expression crossed the dragon slayer's face, but he nodded. Spinning on heel, Natsu took off down the stairs after Lucy, Happy trailing quietly behind him.

Erza watched them go, eyes sad as she asked “What are we going to do, Master?”

“I don't know, Erza. I really don't know,” Makarov said, rubbing his face tiredly with one hand “First that business in Telmare, and now this...”

“There's something else that happened while you were gone, Master,” Erza said, making the old man groan before launching into her description of Lucy's attack.

* * *

Down below, Gajeel, Gray, Cana, and Levy were waiting, having apparently seen them go up to their meeting with Makarov.

As soon as Levy met Lucy's tearful gaze, and saw the frustration written plain across Natsu's face, she knew the news wasn't good.

“Oh Lucy,” she said, stepping forward and wrapping her friend up in a hug, quickly followed by Cana, who stroked the girl's blonde hair reassuringly.

The former celestial spirit mage accepted the gesture, burying her face in her friend's shoulder as she continued to take deep breaths to keep from bursting into tears. It was all simply too much to bear. How could Makarov not have the answer? He always knew what to do...but now even he had no idea how to fix them.

“Don't worry, we'll get you through this,” Gray promised, tone serious as he reached out and grasped Natsu's shoulder firmly in a show of support.

“Right. If we gotta, we'll go hunt down that ex-client of yours and kick his teeth in until he tell us where to find another star thing,” Gajeel said with a wicked grin, their words eliciting a smile from Natsu.

“Thanks guys. You're right. Even if Gramps doesn't know, we can figure this out,” Natsu said with a firm nod after he took a deep breath and gathered himself. When Lucy turned to look at him with hope filled eyes, the dragon slayer knew he couldn't let his faith in this fact waver again for even a minute. She was depending on him.

Grinning broadly at her, he gave his partner a thumbs up, and she laughed weakly in turn. The gesture seemed to give her the strength to pull herself together, and she nodded.

“Right. We're Fairy Tail mages, there's nothing we can't do when we put our minds to it,” she said.

“Aye!” Happy cheered.

“So, what do we do first?” Levy asked, glancing around their group.

“I say we get a drink,” Cana said, matter-of-factly.

“That's your answer to everything, woman,” Gajeel complained.

“Yeah, well, it's a good answer,” Cana countered “Bad news especially calls for a stiff drink.”

“It's barely noon,” Lucy said with a weak chuckle as she disentangled herself from Levy's arms.

“So? It's five o'clock somewhere! Come on, Lucy, it'll take your mind off things,” the card mage said and took the blonde by the hand and dragged her off towards the bar “Research can wait.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we go, Natsu and Lucy finally get some answers, even if they're not the ones they were looking for.
> 
> This chapter actually ended up a good bit longer than I initially planned. Several chapters ago, a reader pointed out that even though Lucy and Natsu switched magic, they should be able to just relearn their old skills. Obviously this rather robs the story of some of it's drama, and it was an unintentional plot hole that totally blind sided me XD There's not a lot of characters in the series that know multiple types of magic, beyond like...little side spells, so I had rather forgotten that it IS possible. They are there, though, I'd just forgotten when I started this story >__> Initially I decided to just kind of retcon that fact for the sake of my story, but my muse rebelled and decided that we're better than that, and helped me come up with a reason why Lucy and Natsu can't just relearn their old magic. When it's not off sulking somewhere, my muse can be quite a useful thing, lol.
> 
> That said, please leave a review if you enjoyed so my muse doesn't wander off and stop giving me useful ideas! I've received some really great ones lately, and I really appreciate it ;__; Knowing that there's people out there genuinely enjoying a project that I'm putting so much time and effort into...it really makes it feel worth while. Thanks <3


	12. Run Dry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, remember, kids, underage drinking is bad! On the other hand, Fiore has a distinctly European feel to it, and the drinking age IS younger there, so whatever haha X'D  
> Not a lot to say up here today other than thanks to everyone that reviewed last chapter! Please keep them coming so my muse doesn't starve! Cuz hey, if you don't review, who will??

A couple of hours later, Lucy, Natsu, Gajeel, Cana, Gray, and Happy were all still seated around the table they had claimed in one corner of the guild hall. Despite her initial objections, Lucy and every one else had wound up getting a drink. And then another. And another. And another...

With her new dragon slayer metabolism, Lucy was only just starting to feel buzzed, while Natsu was giggling uncontrollably into his beer at something Gray had said. The ice mage and Levy both seemed to be having trouble focusing, and the blue haired girl seemed to be inching closer to Gajeel with every drink she had.

Across the table from one another, the iron dragon slayer and Lucy shared a look. She raised an eyebrow at him, and he smirked in turn, which had her raising the other eyebrow in warning. A vague blush crossed Gajeel's tanned cheeks and he quickly tore his crimson gaze from her as Cana leaned in and poured them both another shot of firewhiskey.

“Man, when did Natsu become such a light weight?” Cana complained as she topped off her own drink and tossed it back casually.

Lucy snorted and looked at her pink haired friend fondly “About the time we switched magic, I assume.”

“So his magic really did up his metabolism?” the card mage asked, a thoughtful expression on her face.

“Seems so. How many drinks have I had? I barely feel buzzed,” Lucy mused as she sipped the firewhiskey she'd been poured. Last week she'd hated the stuff. It burned her mouth, robbed her of breath, and tasted like she was trying to drink kerosene. Now, though, it was pleasantly warm on her tongue, and went down like a dream. No wonder Natsu liked this stuff.

“Welcome to the dragon slayer club,” Gajeel said with a chuckle as he raised his glass to her. Rolling her eyes, Lucy returned the gesture as Gray burst out laughing.

“Look at him, jusss pathetic,” the ice mage slurred with a grin as he and Natsu faced off against one another over their drinks.

“Oh shut up, you can barely even sit up straight,” Natsu objected as he started tipping dangerously to one side before quickly righting himself.

“Stu-stupid dragon. I'm gonna come over there and show you sitting up straight,” Gray said cantankerously as he struggled to get up out of his seat. His legs wound up getting tangled with his chair's, though, and he toppled to the floor with a thud...then didn't get back up again.

Natsu broke out into raucous laughter, slopping his drink in the process while Gajeel leaned over and checked on the ice mage.

“Eh, he's fine,” the dragon slayer said, unconcerned as he righted himself, just in time for Levy to hiccup and sag against him with a happy little sigh.

As Lucy watched, the dark haired man went ramrod straight, and glanced nervously down at the blue haired woman leaning on his arm.

The blonde giggled, and he glared at her across the table, the blush returning to creep slowly but surely across his features once more.

'So cute,' she mouthed silently at him, making him go red as a tomato.

Natsu took notice of the iron dragon slayer's complexion and asked “Oi, what's wrong with Gajeel? Looks like his head is 'bout to esplode...explode.”

“Oh I don't know, what is wrong, Gajeel?” Lucy asked slyly, smirking at the man who sputtered in return.

“Y-you!”

“He liiiikes her,” Happy snickered before toppling over backwards onto the surface of the table and passing out.

“Shut up, cat!” Gajeel hissed, then glanced worriedly down at Levy, only to heave a sigh of relief when he realized that, she too, had fallen asleep.

“Pffft, everyone already knows,” Natsu said with a careless flap of one hand before taking a long draw of his drink, then turned to eye Lucy's “Oi Lucy, give me some of yours.”

While Gajeel struggled to reign in his impulse to strangle the rose haired mage, Lucy looked at Natsu in surprise “You sure? You probably won't like it anymore,” she cautioned, but pushed it towards him anyways.

The dragon slayer nearly missed catching the drink, but managed to get a hand on it before it slid off the other end of the table, making Lucy laugh. She really laughed, though, when he took a drink, only to spit it out a second later, spraying Cana with firewhiskey.

“Dammit Natsu!” the card mage swore as she clambered to her feet “That's nasty!” she complained loudly, and she headed quickly for the bathroom to get cleaned up.

“Ugh, Lucy! What did you put in this drink?!” Natsu whined, shoving it back her way.

Lucy caught it and rolled her eyes “Natsu, that's just how it tastes when you're not a dragon slayer,” she said, then added as an afterthought “or someone with a really high alcohol tolerance, I guess, like Cana.”

“This sucks,” he grumbled, taking a sip of his beer again “Firewhiskey was my favorite...”

While drinking hadn't helped her forget their problems, it had at least taken her mind off of them. Now, though, looking at her unhappy friend as he stared disconsolately down into his cup, they returned full force.

“I'm sorry, Natsu,” Lucy said quietly for his ears alone.

“Eh, it's fine. This beer is pretty good too.”

“No,” Lucy said, shaking her head emphatically, golden hair spilling across her shoulders with the motion. Though she didn't notice, Natsu watched it, transfixed “I'm sorry for all this,” she tried to clarify with a vague wave of her hand “If I just hadn't made that stupid wish...we wouldn't be in this mess,” she said, throat going tight with regret.

Natsu straightened and said “What? No,” in a slightly slurred voice as he fought to focus on her. After a moment, he managed and continued “If I hadn't upset you, you wouldn't have had to wish anything in the first place.”

Lucy shook her head, but was interrupted by Erza, who stopped by the table after overhearing their conversation, and said “Don't be absurd, you're both wrong. This is your client's fault. You heard Mirajane, he was completely in the wrong for never giving you the information you needed to do the job safely.” The requip mage stared them both down sternly until they nodded meekly in agreement. That done, she turned to Gajeel and said “Help me carry these two upstairs, Gray's going to get stepped on at this rate,” as she gestured to the ice mage and Levy.

“Yeah, fine. Don't want him puking on my boots,” Gajeel agreed as he finished off his drink and then shifted to the side to get an arm around Levy. With some careful maneuvering, he got to his feet and hoisted her gently into his arms.

Watching, Lucy was taken aback by the tenderness with which he held her friend. However much he liked her, the girl had half expected him to toss her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He noticed her looking, and flushed again, turning his eyes anywhere but her.

“I can take her,” Erza said, the only one oblivious to the moment. Even Natsu was regarding the iron dragon slayer with raised eyebrows.

“No, I got it. You get Gray,” Gajeel said, surprising the requip mage when he turned his body to prevent her from from laying hands on Levy.

“Alright,” the red head said, blinking before turning her attention to Gray, who was snoring on the floor. Much as Lucy had expected Gajeel to do with Levy, Erza grabbed the ice mage up and tossed him casually over her shoulder, then followed the iron dragon slayer up the nearby stairs.

“He really does like her, doesn't he?” Lucy mused quietly as she watched the four go.

“Yeah,” Natsu agreed, unusually on point for the conversation for once.

“I wish he'd just tell her already,” the blonde said with a sigh as she finished off her drink, frowning when she looked around and couldn't spot the bottle in order to get a refill. Cana must have taken it with her.

The rose haired dragon slayer watched her thoughtfully for a moment before saying “Maybe he's just not sure she likes him back.”

“Seriously?” Lucy asked, laughing as she abandoned her search and looked back at her friend “All he has to do is pay attention to the way she acts around him. It's so obvious,” she said with a warm smile at the thought of her shy friend.

Natsu was quiet for a long moment, his inebriated mind struggling along a potentially cunning line of thought “Well...what should a guy be looking for to tell if a girl likes him?” he asked with careful nonchalance, looking pointedly at his drink, rather than Lucy herself for fear of giving himself away.

“Oh that's easy,” Lucy scoffed “I don't know why boys can't figure it out on their own,” she said, rolling her eyes. Her buzz loosened her tongue, though, and she went through the list anyways, not stopping to consider why Natsu would even ask such a question “First of all, she'll prioritize spending time with him, go out of her way to hang out with him when she can. And she'll initiate hanging out too, not just wait for him to do it,” she said, ticking off one finger “It's pretty inevitable that she'll blush more than normal around him as well. Though I guess that one kinda depends on the girl. Some are definitely more prone to that then others,” she admitted.

Lucy ticked off another finger, and Natsu nodded, taking mental notes. Time spending and blushing, okay. Well, he and Lucy certainly spent a lot of time together, but was that just because they were partners and friends, or because she liked him? Did she blush more around him than anyone else?

The dragon slayer's alcohol fogged brain couldn't focus well enough to come to a conclusion, so he decided to just pay attention to Lucy's list for the time being. He could compare her own actions around him to the list later, when he was sober.

“What else?” he prompted.

Suddenly suspicious, Lucy asked “Why do you want to know?”

“Well, you want Gajeel to pay attention, right?” Natsu answered quickly “So I'll, uh...tell him what to look for.” Crossing his fingers under the table, the dragon slayer prayed his friend would buy it. It wasn't completely untrue. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to let the iron dragon slayer in on the secret too. After all, Levy was Lucy's best friend...maybe that could work in his favor?

Lucy stared at him for a moment, and then a silly grin broke out across her lovely face “Oh my god, Natsu, are you trying to play match maker?”

“Shut up,” he grumbled into his drink, cheeks coloring at the implication.

“Well alright, let's see, what else?” she muttered, lips turned up in an indulgent smile “Blushing, spending time, initiating...Oh, she'd definitely worry about what he thought of her, and be really happy if he complimented her. Like, more so than if anyone else had said the same thing,” she frowned thoughtfully for a moment, and then shrugged and said “I guess that's the basics! Anything else definitely depends on the girl, really. Levy would have a hard time initiating contact, what with Droy and Jett being so protective, but I know she has in the past. Gajeel just didn't realize how important that was,” she said with a roll of her eyes.

“Huh,” Natsu said and nodded, wishing he had a piece of paper and a pen so he could write all that down.

“Hang on, I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick, I'll be right back,” Lucy said as she pushed her chair back and headed for the ladies room, and Natsu nodded, watching her go.

A moment later, Gajeel came back downstairs and walked past the table.

“Oi, bolts for brains!” Natsu called, making the dark haired man whip around and scowl at him.

“What was that, flame breath?”

“Come find me later when I'm sober,” the rose haired mage instructed. Gajeel blinked, clearly not expecting his answer “I've got somethin' important to tell ya.”

“Why can't you just tell me now?” the iron dragon slayer asked suspiciously.

“Cuz it's a secret,” Natsu whispered and then snickered obnoxiously.

“Yeah, whatever,” Gajeel said with a dismissive snort and turned to leave again.

“It's about Leeeevy!” Natsu called after him, grinning at the other dragon slayer as he froze, then turned and looked at him.

He narrowed his eyes and then said “Alright, fine. I'll find you later. This better be worth my time, though, Dragneel,” before disappearing out the guild doors.

* * *

A little while later, Lucy, Erza, Lily and Wendy were all in the blonde's apartment, staring up at the hole in her ceiling.

The requip mage had suggested that they go back and take a look at the 'scene of the crime' on the off chance that they might find some clue as to who it was that had attacked Lucy, and the girl had agreed. Natsu had wanted to come along, but a stern look from Erza had kept him in place as she informed him that he was not welcome to come near a crime scene when he was too drunk to even walk straight.

He had huffed in annoyance and complained, but Lucy's promise to report their findings back to him later served to mollify him well enough to let them go.

On their way out, the pair had bumped into Wendy and Lily, who volunteered to come along once they told them about the attack the previous night.

“I can't believe they blew a hole in your roof, Lucy!” Wendy said, horrified by the destruction that had been wrought as she picked her way around the wreckage in the center of the room.

“It is rather extreme, considering there were two available entrances they could have broken in through,” Lily mused, hovering over to the window, and then the door. Neither showed signs of having been tampered with.

“Perhaps they were going for the shock and awe approach,” Erza commented as she roamed the room, looking for anything of interest. She paused occasionally to pick up a bullet casing or examine something more closely.

“Well they certainly succeeded at the shock part of the show,” Lucy complained and she sat on the edge of her bed, sighing as she examined the mess before her. It was a good thing the reward from her and Natsu's last job had been a big one. She should still be able to afford rent even after paying to have her ceiling fixed, though it did mean that she'd have to go back to work sooner than anticipated.

Erza turned to look at her friend and smiled “You thought on your feet and kept yourself safe while still paying enough attention to hear what they were saying, Lucy. You did a good job.”

“Thanks,” the blonde said with a half-smile, the compliment doing little to boost her spirits. First the news that Makarov didn't know how to fix her and Natsu, and now she was going to have to find someone to fix her roof before the landlady returned...

With a heavy sigh, Lucy flopped backwards onto her bed, only to yelp in pain when something hard jabbed her in the spine. She sat bolt upright, trying to rub the hard to reach spot in an attempt to ease the pain.

“Lucy?” Wendy asked worriedly as Lily fluttered over, landing on the bed and feeling around with his paws. A moment later, the exceed found something buried in the mattress. With a grunt, he dragged it out, nearly falling over with the effort.

“Hey!” Lucy exclaimed, immediately recognizing the knife in the black cat's paws “That's the dagger that first psycho tried to stab me with!”

Erza moved quickly over to the bed and took the knife from Lily when he offered it up to her “It's a rather unusual make, isn't it?” she remarked as she held it up to the light, turning it this way and that so she could get a good look at it.

It certainly didn't look like any dagger Lucy had ever seen. It had no guard, and there was dark leather wrapped around the handle. The blade itself was thin, made of a matte black metal the likes of which she'd never seen on a weapon before.

“It smells funny,” Lucy said as an odd scent reached her sensitive nose. It was vaguely sweet, with an unpleasant undertone of decay.

Stepping closer, Wendy gave it it an experimental sniff, then immediately pulling away with a grimace “Erza, be careful, that blade is coated in poison!”

“Well, I think it's safe to assume that they didn't want you, or whoever they were looking for, alive, Lucy,” Erza noted darkly as she conjured a handkerchief and wrapped it carefully around the blade so no one would cut themselves on it accidentally.

Lucy paled at this revelation, jaw tightening convulsively at the memory of just how close that dagger had come to finding it's way into her flesh “Thank goodness for historical fiction,” she said in a shaky attempt at humor to distract herself, running her fingers over the cover of the book she had used to knock out her attacker.

“Knowledge is a weapon,” Lily added with a smile to help lighten the mood for Lucy's sake. She smiled at him gratefully, then pushed herself to her feet and started sniffing around the room for any hints about her attackers that she hadn't been able to pick out the night previous.

Wendy joined her, though no matter how carefully they combed over every inch of the room, they couldn't pick up any smells that didn't belong there.

“Shouldn't there be some trace scent left behind?” Lucy complained and Wendy nodded her agreement, a concerned frown on her face. It seemed like Natsu could always pick up something or other when he needed to!

“Even with the room left open to the air last night, there should be something,” Erza nodded in agreement “If there's really nothing here, then it is possible that the clothes you described them as wearing did more than mask their appearance.”

“Scent negating clothes? I suppose it's not impossible,” Lily hummed as he rubbed his jaw thoughtfully.

Lucy sighed and said “Well, I guess it doesn't really matter that much, does it? I mean, they had the wrong person, so they probably won't come back, right?” she asked hopefully as Erza and the exceed shared a look.

“I don't know, Lucy. They never did say that they had the wrong person did they?” the red head asked.

The younger girl grimaced “No, just that they had the wrong intel.”

“Which could mean anything, really,” Lily pointed out “It could certainly be that they were looking for you, but...”

Lucy smacked her forehead with her palm as she finished for him “But I had the wrong kind of magic.”

“So they might have been looking for you, but they were confused when they found you using fire magic instead of celestial spirit magic,” Wendy summarized “Oh dear...”

Lily nodded grimly “And none of this explains just who these people were or what they wanted with you.”

“Ugh, can we go back to my theory that it wasn't me they were looking for?” Lucy whined. Assassins were the last thing she needed after all the other crap that had landed on her plate recently.

“It is a theory we can keep on the board,” Erza said with an sympathetic smile “But we definitely need to consider all of the options. I recommend that you not stay here until we get this figured out.”

Lucy sighed and nodded in resignation “You're right. I still need to find a contractor to fix my roof, though. My landlady's gonna kill me if not, and I really don't want the weather getting in while I'm gone...”

“Where do you keep your broom, Lucy? We might as well clean up while we're here so the builders will have room to work when they arrive,” Wendy asked the other girl with a warm smile.

“I'll go to the shop and get a tarp and other supplies to cover the hole in the mean time,” Lily offered.

“I've plenty of contacts in the contractor sector,” Erza said thoughtfully “I can find someone that will give you a good price for the work.”

Touched by her friend's willingness to help, a wave of relief washed over the woman. However much she might have on her shoulders right now, her friends were here to help.

“Thanks, everyone,” she said gratefully before turning to find her backpack “Let me get you some money for the supplies before you go, Lily.”

* * *

For the next hour or two, Natsu burned time in the guild as he waited to sober up enough that Erza wouldn't come hunt him down for public drunkenness if he went out. He ate a large lunch, chatted with Macao and Wakaba, and drank two more cups of coffee while Happy snored contentedly on the table where he had passed out. Under normal circumstances it took quite a lot to get Natsu drunk in the first place, and even then, it burned off quickly, like a morning mist. Today, though, it felt as though it took forever to get down to just feeling a solid buzz.

Deciding that was good enough, Natsu left the guild and wandered down to the shopping district. Seeing as Gramps didn't have an immediate answer on how to fix he and Lucy's problem, he figured he might as well stock up on a few necessities.

First stop was blankets. There was no way he was going to spend another night cold and miserable in his own house. It wasn't even winter! Once he had picked out several that suited his tastes, Natsu went to the market for food.

Before they'd left on their last quest, he and Happy had pretty much cleaned out their cupboards. Well, maybe not cleaned out his cupboards (he was pretty sure there was something growing in at least one of them), but they had certainly eaten all of the unspoiled food. On his way out, he remembered matches at the last minute. It was hard to cook food without fire, after all.

Shopping done, Natsu decided to haul his purchases back to his house rather than bringing them to the guild.

On the way, Happy caught him up, having finally woken up from his hours long, booze induced nap.

“About time,” Natsu teased the cat as he handed him one of the bags full of food to carry “Forgot what a light weight you are!”

“You're one to talk!” Happy objected, making his friend laugh.

“Hey, I didn't pass out in the middle of the table,” he said with a snicker as he shifted his hold on his shopping bags a bit and started walking again.

“Where did everyone else go anyways?” the exceed asked in an attempt to change the subject.

“Well,” Natsu replied “Gray and Levy both passed out, just like you, so Erza and Gajeel hauled them upstairs to sleep it off. Then Gajeel went I don't know where. Erza and Lucy went back to her place to try to figure out who attacked her last night,”

Happy nodded thoughtfully, then glanced down at the bag he was carrying “So what'd you buy? You bought fish, right?”

Natsu rolled his eyes “I always buy fish, Happy,” he said with a snort “Got some other food stuff, matches, blankets...”

The blue exceed regarded his friend for a long minute before asking “So...stocking up for the long haul?”

“Yep,” Natsu answered shortly, knowing full well what it was the cat was really asking. He wanted to know if he was making plans to cope with not having his own magic for the long term.

“And you're...okay with that?” Happy asked hesitantly, picking his words carefully.

“Do I have a choice?” the dragon slayer asked, arching a brow at his friend, who grimaced “I'm fine, Happy, I can deal,” he said firmly, then grinned and said “Like Lucy said, we're Fairy Tail mages, there's nothing we can't do when we put our minds to it.”

He believed it, too. Allowing his faith to waver in that simple stricture just wasn't an option; he'd decided that the moment Makarov had spoken those three, all-important words up in the S-class lounge:

She needs you.

Lucy may have control of his physical and magical strength now, but she would still need his emotional support to get through this strange time in both their lives. If he was being frank, he needed her support as much as she did his. Natsu didn't fret over that, though. He didn't need to. He knew without a doubt that Lucy would be there for him one hundred percent, no matter how rough things were in the days to come.

Come hell or high water, it was simply what they did for one another.

* * *

After Natsu dropped his purchases at his house, he decided to head back towards Lucy's apartment to find out what they had learned. Happy, however, opted to stay and have another nap rather than flying about any more for the day.

When he arrived, it was immediately apparent that he hadn't missed his friends, as he spotted Lily up on the roof, carefully tacking down a tarp to keep the weather out of Lucy's apartment. When he saw him, the black exceed raised his hammer in greeting, and Natsu waved before entering the building.

Jogging up the stairs, the dragon slayer barged in through the door without knocking, making the three girls inside look around in surprise.

“Hey Natsu, feeling better?” Lucy asked her friend with a smile as she shoved the last bit of ceiling debris into the garbage bag Wendy was holding open for her.

“Dunno what you're talking about, I wasn't feeling bad in the first place,” he told her with a smirk.

“Well, he's not slurring,” Erza mused as she set aside the broom and dust pan she had been using. The carpet would still need a more thorough cleaning to get all the dust out, but it would do for now.

Wendy blinked curiously at her older friends “Why would Natsu be slurring?”

Lucy snorted at the memory, but a smile tugged at her lips as she admitted “Cana insisted that our bad news earlier meant we needed a drink.” the blonde's eyes went to Natsu as she said “Turns out that Natsu's magic is a big reason why he can handle so much alcohol before he even gets buzzed.”

The dragon slayer shrugged “Well, at least it's cheaper to drink now,” he observed, always one to look on the bright side.

“True enough,” Lily agreed as he fluttered in through the window, hammer, nails, and tape in hand. He placed them on the desk and added “It costs Gajeel a small fortune to get anything close to drunk.”

“So what'd you guys find out?” Natsu asked as he plopped down onto Lucy's bed, only to find one of his hands going straight through it when he leaned back “Gah!”

“Oh, yeah, watch out,” Lucy warned as he dragged his hand out of the springy depths “That's where we found the dagger,” she said, pointing to the mean looking blade on her desk, currently wrapped up in a handkerchief.

Jumping right back up to his feet, Natsu went to take a closer look at the thing.

Just as he reached out to pick it up, though, Erza swatted his hand away “Don't, it's covered in poison,” she warned.

The dragon slayer shook his hand painfully before her words sunk in “Poison?” he asked, looking around sharply at Lucy, who winced and nodded. Natsu's jaw tightened reflexively as both hands tightened into fists. This was the second time that week that he had nearly lost his best friend...he was starting to think he might have to tie her to him to keep her out of trouble at this rate.

“I'm fine, Natsu,” Lucy said quietly, recognizing the look he was giving her all to well. It was his 'where the hell was I and why wasn't I protecting you' look. She moved closer to him, and the moment she came in range, he immediately took her hand in his, as though needing the reassurance of physical contact.

Finding comfort of her own in the gesture, Lucy squeezed his hand gently in hers, not noticing speculative look that Lily gave the pair of them from where he stood on the bed.

“So, who left the knife?” Natsu asked, gray eyes flicking between his friends, curious but grim.

“They left precious little in the way of clues beyond the blade,” Erza said with a sigh as she leaned against the wall “They were obviously professionals, well organized, with access to clothing that went so far as to even repress their scent...”

“Do we know if it was actually Lucy they were looking for?” Natsu asked, grip tightening on his friend's hand as he asked, and she shook her head in answer.

“It's possible that it could go either way. It could be that I wasn't who they were looking for, or it might just be that they were confused by the fact that I used magic other than my own, which scared them off.”

For the second time Natsu was actually relieved that Lucy had his magic instead of him. First it had allowed her to survive Bran's attack when he thought she had been crushed, and now it had allowed to her escape assassins unscathed. If he couldn't be by her side to protect her, at least his magic could.

“Either way,” Erza said, dragging the rose haired mage from his thoughts “She can't stay here. Who knows if they'll show back up to try again.”

“Not to mention the hole...” Lucy murmured, frowning up at her ceiling.

“Lucy, you're welcome to stay with me at Fairy Hills-” Erza began, but Natsu cut her off.

“She'll stay with me,” he said bluntly.

“W-what?” Lucy stammered, surprised by his sudden announcement.

“Certainly not,” Erza scoffed while Wendy hid a smile behind one hand, watching the debate unfold “You two sleeping in the same house without supervision? I won't allow it.”

“I sleep over at her place all the time!” Natsu objected, making Erza stare at him, shocked “Ow!” he complained as Lucy tightened her grip on his hand painfully.

“Shut up!” she hissed warningly as the requip mage looked ready to blow a gasket.

“They won't really be alone, Erza,” Wendy quickly interjected before the bloodbath could begin “Happy with be there!”

The red head blinked, then looked down at the sky dragon slayer and said “Oh, I guess you're right.”

Lucy stared at her older friend for a long minute in light of the absurdity of the situation. Was she really satisfied with Happy acting as chaperon? Seriously? She started to say something, when Natsu tugged on her hand, making her look around at him curiously.

He arched an eyebrow expressively at her, and somehow, she knew exactly what he was asking.

'Do you really want to spend another night with Erza?'

Lucy grimaced at the thought. She loved her red headed friend dearly, but sleep-overs with her tended to get a little too interesting for her tastes. She'd lucked out the night before by arriving so late, but if she went with her now...

The blonde sighed and smiled ruefully at the man holding her hand, admitting defeat.

Natsu grinned broadly at her and turned to Erza, adding “Plus, we're going to be training. It'll be better to do it at my place. There's a lot less to burn down there,” just to make sure that the proverbial coffin was good and nailed shut.

“Alright, alright, I get it,” Erza mused, holding her hands up in defeat.

“Do you need help getting your things together, Lucy?” Wendy offered helpfully.

“No I should be fine. I've already got the bulk of it in my bag I packed from last night. I just need some more clothes,” Lucy said as she grabbed up said bag from the floor and brought it over to her dresser. She was getting seriously sick of toting the thing all over creation lately, but fate seemed to be conspiring to make her continue living out of it, even now that she was back in Magnolia.

Clothes packed, the woman looked briefly around her apartment before deciding to grab a few other things, including her make-up bag and pillow. After a brief tour through her kitchen, Lucy returned to her friends, who had moved to the entryway while they waited.

“Okay, I think I'm good,” she told Natsu as she slung her bulging backpack up onto her shoulder.

He eyed the bag curiously and asked, voice teasing “Sure you're not missing anything? Your bed, maybe?”

“Shut up,” she said with a sniff “I went ahead and brought some of my more perishable food stuff so we can eat it instead of letting it go bad.”

“Nice!” the dragon slayer said with a grin. Sure he'd just gone shopping earlier, but he wasn't about to complain about free food.

As the group left, Lucy closed the door behind them and locked it. When she turned around, Erza was there, making the blonde squeak in surprise.

“E-Erza! Don't scare me like that,” she complained, one hand going to her chest, where she could feel her heart pounding.

“Sorry, Lucy,” the requip mage said with an indulgent smile before placing a hand on her shoulder and saying “I just wanted to say, if Natsu tries anything at all while Happy's not looking...just let me know and I'll break both his legs.”

“Erza...” Lucy said smiling in exasperation at her friend, but touched all the same “Don't worry, I can handle myself. If it comes down to it, I'll break his legs,” the blonde joked, making the older woman grin.

“Oi,” Natsu complained “I am right here.”

“Be quiet, Natsu, we're having a moment,” Erza said, pulling Lucy in for a hug, the blonde's head hitting her breast plate with a clang.

“Ow!” Lucy exclaimed at the impact. After a moment, though, she hugged her friend back, knowing she meant well.

“Here, take one of these,” Erza said a moment later when she released her grip on Lucy and turned to rummage in one of her pockets. She brought out one of Cana's call cards, though rather than having the brunette's face on it, Erza's smiled up at her from the paper rectangle “If something happens, assassins attack, Natsu gropes you...anything. Just give me a call.”

“Just what do you think I plan on doing to her, woman?!” Natsu fumed at the red head, only to be ignored.

“Thank you so much, Erza” Lucy said with a warm smile as she accepted the card and tucked it carefully into her pocket. She didn't have any worries about Natsu, whatever Erza might think, but having the card on the off chance that the assassins came back...that was reassuring.

“Come on, Lucy, let's get out of here,” Natsu grumped as he grabbed her by the wrist, hauling her off down the stairs and out the main door.

“Bye, everyone!” she called behind her as Erza, Lily, and Wendy were all left in the dust “Thanks so much, I owe you one!”

* * *

By the time they were most of the way to his place, Natsu was having serious second thoughts about having Lucy stay with him. Not enough to say as much, obviously, but he was starting to wonder if he hadn't still been a bit buzzed when he'd made the suggestion back at his friend's apartment.

They'd never really spent any time at his house together before, and now she was going to be staying with him for who knew how long. He was also pretty sure she was going to complain about how messy the place was too. He hadn't even thought of that when he'd extended the invitation.

Most of all, though, it was going to be strange having her in a space that had so thoroughly become his and Happy's over the years. Granted, they didn't spend a lot of time there, but it was still the one place in the world that was uniquely theirs.

“Hey Natsu?”

The dragon slayer looked around, pulled from his thoughts by Lucy's quiet voice “Yeah?” he asked, releasing her wrist when he realized that he was still holding onto it.

She smiled at him and said “Thanks for letting me stay with you. It's...” she flushed a little and looked away from him “-really thoughtful of you. The training me thing too. I just want you to know that I appreciate it.” Her voice petered off towards the end, and she glanced back at him shyly.

Somehow, with those words, Lucy completely banished the man's worries about inviting her into his home. No matter how awkward it might be, he knew he was doing the right thing, so it was worth it. He and Happy could adjust “You don't have to make a big deal out of it,” he told her with a cheeky smile “You have me and Happy over all the time.”

“Yeah, I guess you're right,” Lucy replied with a smile of her own as they walked up the path to Natsu's house from the main road.

As soon as Natsu pushed the front door open, though, the smile immediately dropped from the girl's face.

“Oh my god! Seriously Natsu?!” she demanded when she saw the mess within “It looks like a tornado ripped through here!”

The dragon slayer poked his head in the door and looked around “You think so? Doesn't look that bad to me,” he mused. In fact, it looked like Happy had actually picked up a little since he left earlier.

“Hi Lucy! Welcome home, Natsu!” Happy exclaimed cheerfully, appearing from behind a pile of debris “I thought you might bring Lucy back, so I cleaned up!” the exceed exclaimed proudly.

“C-cleaned up?” Lucy stammered, aghast at the implication that the room was somehow cleaner than it had been before.

“Thanks, looks good, Happy!” Natsu said, giving his furry roommate a thumbs up.

“It-!” Lucy clamped her mouth shut as she almost shouted that it most certainly did not look anything remotely close to good. The proud look the little exceed was giving her simply wouldn't allow her to. She was forced to admit that at least Happy had tried to clean up, unlike a certain pink haired somebody.

The woman took a deep breath, and then dropped her backpack by the door as she said “Thanks for straightening up for me, Happy. You want some help finishing up?”

Natsu shot his female friend a surprised look when she unexpectedly reigned in her notorious temper while Happy nodded and admitted “Aye! Some of this stuff is too big for me...”

“Alright, lets get started then,” Lucy said with a grin as she headed for the nearest pile of trash that Happy had shunted off to one side of the room.

Somehow, the fact that his friend didn't explode about the mess made the dragon slayer more self-conscious about it than anything else ever had.

Natsu followed after her, embarrassed at the state of his house for perhaps the first time in his life “Hey, Lucy, you don't actually have to help. I can do it,” he offered, flushing a little at the wide eyed look of surprise she gave him.

After a moment, though, she shook her head and said with a grin “No, it's okay. You're letting me stay, I can at least help you clean up. Just don't expect me to chip in for rent this month.”

Laughing, the dragon slayer nodded and agreed “Alright, that's fair I guess.”

* * *

It took hours to clean things to Lucy's standard, but eventually they managed. Not without a few hiccups along the way, though.

First, Natsu had been reluctant to throw anything away until Happy and Lucy accused him of being a hoarder. Then Lucy nearly set the kitchen ablaze when she was startled by something growing under the sink and screamed fire at it. Happy was almost crushed by a toppling shelf, but was rescued when Natsu snatched him out of the way just in time.

It was certainly the most exciting cleaning job any of them had ever done.

“I don't know how, but this was even worse than last time,” Lucy groaned as she flopped tiredly onto the sofa.

From his place sprawled face down on the floor, Natsu turned his head slightly so he could look at her, a puzzled look on his face “What?”

“You know, the last time I cleaned your house,” Lucy said, blinking as she looked down at him. Did he really not remember?

“Lucy, you never spend time at our house, when would you have cleaned it?” Happy asked skeptically as he rocked gently in Natsu's hammock.

“Wait, you guys seriously don't remember?” Lucy asked, voice disbelieving as she propped herself up on her elbows so she could get a good look at both boys in an attempt to judge if they were messing with her. Their blank looks told her all she needed to know, though.

The celestial spirit mage dropped her head back and groaned “I can't believe you guys!” she exclaimed, then laughed, unable to hold a grudge over it.

“I think all the cleaning fumes got to Lucy's brain, Natsu,” Happy said, shaking his head.

“Think so?” the dragon slayer mused as he rolled over onto his side and propped his head on his hand while he watched Lucy laugh.

“Hey!” Lucy objected, and hurled one of the couch pillows at Happy, knocking him out of the hammock with a thump. The exceed complained, but she spoke over him as she said “It was a while back. After we returned from Tenrou island, but before the Grand Magic Games. I got sick of you guys barging in uninvited at my place all the time, so I followed you home one day.”

“Seriously?” Natsu asked mouth agape at this revelation. He'd had no idea that she could be so stealthy.

“Yep,” Lucy said, feeling a little smug at having gotten one over on mister 'superior dragon senses' “So once I figured out where you lived, I came back the next day while you were out. I was going to wait there for you to come back so you'd know what it felt like,” she explained, wrinkling her nose “But the the place was a total wreck! I wound up cleaning it while I was waiting for you to show up, though you never did,” Lucy finished, shrugging casually, leaving out the part where she got sentimental over his wall of keepsakes.

Natsu and Happy's faces were twin masks of comical shock as they shared a look and then stared at her from their places on the floor.

“The cleaning fairy!” they exclaimed in unison.

“What?” Lucy exclaimed, doubling over in laughter before pushing herself upright again “You seriously thought a fairy came and cleaned your house?” she asked as she wiped tears of mirth from her cheeks.

“I...well...yeah?” Natsu stammered, suddenly struck how ridiculous the idea was. Of course it was much more logical that Lucy had cleaned his house than a fairy. Still, it seemed just about as likely at the time.

The blonde rolled over onto her stomach on the couch, her chin resting on her hands as she smiled down at him“You seriously didn't realize it was me?” she asked, the corners of her mouth twitching, threatening laughter again any moment “You couldn't just smell me?”

The dragon slayer shook his head and flopped back onto the floor, spread eagle “How about this, take a good long whiff and tell me what you smell right now.”

Lucy blinked, but after a moment's thought, shrugged and decided to give it a go. Natsu was right here, he'd snap her out of it if she started doing anything weird again.

Closing her eyes and opening herself up, Lucy took a sniff, and immediately clamped a hand over her nose, gagging as she was barraged by the noxious scent of cleaning chemicals “Gah!” she cried, rolling right off the sofa as her her senses were assaulted.

Distantly, she could hear Natsu and Happy laughing. Had her eyes not been streaming, and her nose burning, she would have pummeled one or both of them. As it was, though, she couldn't.

There was the sound of the door opening, followed by the sliding of the window. A moment later, fresh air flowed around Lucy, and she felt better able to breathe, the soft scent of the night warring with that of the chemicals.

“Focus, Lucy,” Natsu said, and she felt his calloused hands on her shoulders “Just shut down that part of the magic.”

The blonde did as instructed, fighting to focus on reigning her sensitivity back into a more normal range. A moment later, she sagged back on one hand as she wiped at her streaming eyes with the other.

“Ugh, Natsu, that was mean!” she complained, annoyed.

“That's what you get for teasing me,” he said, grinning wickedly when her eyes were able to focus on him once more.

“Jerk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave a review if you did, they really help me keep writing! And hey, if you don't review, who will?
> 
> Also, cookie for whoever guesses what the chapter title is from X'D


	13. Plotting Against the Status Quo

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to check out the tumblr blog (one-wish-fanfic) I set up for the story! We've had some pretty entertaining asks so far, so why not contribute one of your own? I also post sneak peek quotes from future chapters there if you're into it ;D
> 
> Please drop a review if you enjoy the update! They definitely help keep me inspired to write!

When they all finally went to sleep that night, Natsu found that he was not quite satisfied with their sleeping arrangements.

They weren't unreasonable sleeping arrangements, they just...didn't involve a lot of spooning.

Wrapped up in one of his new blankets in his hammock, Natsu sighed as he turned and glanced at where Lucy was sleeping on the couch. Happy was curled up next to her among the blankets, and the dragon slayer found himself distinctly envious of the cat. Not for the first time since they all went to bed, Natsu wished he had come up with some reason that he and Lucy could share the couch that she wouldn't object to. Better yet, he wished he owned an actual bed instead of a hammock so they could share that instead.

Just what was he thinking, sleeping in a hammock? Sure it rocked, which was nice, but it wasn't particularly great on his back, and definitely didn't compare to the soft comfort of Lucy's bed.

Granted, was it really the bed he liked? Or just the fact that it gave him an excuse to curl up around the blonde? The narrowness of the couch would certainly lend itself well towards that end...

Blushing in the dark, Natsu pulled the blanket up over his head, blocking the girl in question from his sight. Torn between just diving in head first and telling Lucy that he...liked her, and maintaining the status quo until he could figure out if she liked him back, the dragon slayer found himself wishing that it was all just over and done with already.

He didn't wish it for long, though, because for once in his life, Natsu recognized that rushing in without getting the lay of the land first could utterly destroy any chance he had of being with Lucy. Not only that, but intuition told him that it would wreck their friendship as well, and then he wouldn't even have that to console him.

No. First things first, he had to figure out how Lucy felt about him. If she liked him too, then there would be much rejoicing in the house of Dragneel. Rejoicing, and spooning, and kissing and...stuff.

Natsu felt his face go hot again, and he poked his head out from under his blanket for fresh air as he tried to banish tantalizing thoughts of just what 'stuff' might entail.

If Lucy didn't like him the same way, though...well, he wasn't totally hopeless. He'd try and woo her the way Elfman thought no one noticed him wooing Evergreen. He'd do a way better job at it, though. Natsu would shout his feelings from the roof of the guild if he thought for a moment it would help.

Staring up at the shadowy ceiling, the dragon slayer realized that he was in far deeper than he had first thought. This wasn't just liking a girl, it was...

Natsu rolled over and buried his face in his pillow, trying to ignore the way his guts were trying to tie themselves in knots.

* * *

When Lucy woke to someone screaming her name in the middle of the night, she was convinced that she was having a nightmare. Her arms were bound to her sides, and she couldn't move as the heart rending cry went on and on, filling up the darkness around her.

Squirming desperately, the blonde came fully to waking when she toppled off the sofa onto the floor, and rolled free of the blanket that had become tightly wrapped around her as she slept.

“Wh-what?” she stammered in confusion as she pushed herself groggily into a seated position. Though the sensation of being bound hand and foot had faded, she realized quickly at that the screaming had not. Worse, the pained, pleading cries were coming from Natsu.

The soft moonlight that streamed in through the window over the sofa allowed Lucy to make out the dragon slayer's form thrashing wildly in his hammock.

“Natsu?” she called worriedly as she scrambled to her feet and hurried to his side.

“Catch him Lucy!” Happy cried from somewhere in the shadows, startling her.

Without thinking, though, the girl threw out her arms and caught her dreaming friend just as his struggling sent him toppling right out of his hammock.

“Natsu! Natsu, wake up!” Lucy said, lowering him gently to the floor as she tried to avoid getting hit.

“No, don't touch her!” he snarled, eyes shut tight, teeth bared “Lucy!”

“Shh, I'm here! I'm here!” the blonde insisted, heart aching as her friend struggled blindly in her arms. She shook him and said “Natsu, I'm alright, you're at home!”

At her words, the dragon slayer's eyes flew open, wide and full of terror that Lucy had never witnessed in him during his waking hours. His panicked gaze locked onto her face and roved over her features “You're here,” he said in a rough, breathless voice.

“Yes. We're at your house. Everyone's fine,” she reassured him, her own voice trembling as he raised his hands and briefly cupped her face before letting his fingers comb anxiously through her silken hair.

“You're alright,” Natsu added quietly, and she could feel his hands shaking as he let them trail across her shoulders, and then down her arms, as though checking her for injury.

“Yes,” Lucy confirmed for his sake as she noticed that his cheeks were damp with tears “I'm alright,” she repeated once more as he nodded in relief, and then sagged tiredly in her arms. A moment later, a small snore escaped him, making the woman blink incredulously down at him.

“Seriously?” she muttered with a weak, disbelieving laugh, her voice shaking with emotion in the wake of Natsu's nightmare. Never had she seen him so terrified in all the time she had known him.

“He'll be alright now,” Happy said quietly as he landed beside her, looking tired himself.

Lucy gently loosed her hold on her rose haired friend, and lowered him so his head was resting in her lap. His face was peaceful now, a stark contrast to what it had been only moments before.

“Happy, is this normal?” she asked, frowning worriedly down at the exceed, who sighed at sat himself beside her. She had spent many nights in Natsu's company, and not just at her house. In fact, the vast majority of them had been spent on the road with her boys, camping out, or staying at inns. Never had she seen her friend suffer through a nightmare such as this. Normally he slept so soundly that he barely even rolled over in the course of the night.

Happy scratched an ear thoughtfully as he seemed to debate on whether or not to answer. Finally, though, he admitted “When we're home alone, it's not uncommon. It happens once or twice a month, maybe?” in a quiet voice.

“Seriously?” she murmured, surprised by this revelation. Normally it seemed like her friend barely even knew what the word fear meant, seeing him outright terrified had been startling “Why only when you guys are alone?” Lucy asked as the exceed's words fully registered.

Shrugging, Happy said “Dunno. Sometimes I wonder if he just represses everything without realizing, and then it all comes out at once during the night.”

“Yeah, but I've spent loads of nights with him and I've never seen anything like this,” Lucy said with a frown.

“Like I said, it only ever happens when it's just me and him. Maybe when he knows there are other people around, he feels better because he knows he can act if something happens.” Happy glanced up at her thoughtfully before continuing “It's your first time staying with us overnight...normally it's just us in the house...”

Lucy turned her gaze down to Natsu's peaceful face, and gently wiped tears from his cheeks with the sleeve of her night shirt. She knew that memories of him screaming her name would probably haunt her for days to come.

“He was having a nightmare about me getting hurt,” Lucy observed quietly, tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Overwhelmed with affection for the dear man resting in her lap, she pressed a kiss to his forehead and then gently finger combed his hair in a soothing fashion.

Happy watched her tender gesture and then nodded “It's not the first time. His nightmares are always about someone else getting hurt,” he admitted quietly as his eyes went to Natsu “Sometimes it's me, or Erza, or even Gray. These days, though, it's mostly you.”

Lucy stared at the exceed for a long minute before her eyes went back to the man in her lap, tears spilling over at last as she said in a small voice “Because I'm the only one he's ever actually seen die.”

She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve before her tears could drip down onto Natsu's face. He wasn't the only one that had nightmares about that day in the palace when the version of herself from the future had died. The gut wrenching, existential horror she had experienced, staring down into her own tear stained face as the life bled out of her maimed body, was something she'd be haunted by for the rest of her days.

“Yeah,” Happy admitted quietly, though he knew it was more than that. Granted, the fact that Natsu's brain had such graphic visuals to work with certainly didn't help. He looked up when Lucy shifted, and carefully lifted their friend into her arms “In any case, he never remembers when he wakes up. Or if he does, he's never admitted to it,” the exceed said.

“Maybe that's for the best,” she murmured thoughtfully before adding “I'm going to put him on the couch so he doesn't fall again,” and did just that, thinking how very like the man it'd be to not even recall what had happened in the night. Natsu, true to form, barely stirred at the movement, or when she spread her blanket over him.

Happy regarded her thoughtfully for a moment before saying “You should sleep next to him. I'll take the hammock.”

“W-what?” she demanded, standing bolt upright from where she'd been bent over her friend “But there's not much room on the sofa...”

“Yeah, but Natsu always sleeps better when you're together,” Happy noted slyly as he jumped up into the hammock and made himself comfortable.

Lucy stared at the cat. She could always just pick him up and move him, but no doubt he'd fuss and then wake Natsu. Plus, if what he said was true...

The woman blushed as she gazed down at where Natsu lay on the sofa. Finally making up her mind, she clambered carefully over him, and squeezed between his body and the back of the couch. It was a tight fit, but, to her surprise, not uncomfortable. It was a little odd being the 'big spoon', but considering the night her friend had had, it felt...right for her to be the one wrapped protectively around him for a change.

Nestling in close, Lucy looped one arm over his waist, and folded herself around his larger frame as best she could, resting her forehead against the center of his back. She couldn't fight off nightmares, but if being with her helped comfort Natsu, then she'd do it. However embarrassing it might be.

* * *

Sometime in the night, Natsu woke briefly to the sensation of an incredible warmth at his back.

He stirred and tried to roll over, but found himself unexpectedly pinned in place by a pressure across his waist. Blinking blearily, he lifted his head and glanced around. It took a moment for his sleep fogged brain to catch on, but eventually it registered that he was looking at his hammock, rather than sleeping in it.

“The hell?” he mumbled, unable to make any sense of what was going on. Where was Lucy? She'd been asleep on the couch before he'd eventually drifted off himself.

A soft sigh behind him sent an electric shock straight up his spine, and back down into his stomach. A warm breath tickled the nape of his neck as the dragon slayer looked down at the pressure that was holding him in place. A pale, slender arm was looped over him, and a delicate hand was splayed across the flat of his stomach.

Dark eyes tracing from the hand, up the arm to the shoulder, Natsu found himself swallowing hard when he craned around far enough to see Lucy's face resting against his shoulder. Her soft form was pressed flush up against his from behind, proving to be the source of the intense warmth that had woken him.

Natsu lay very, very still, for fear of waking his friend as he tried to figure out what was going on.

Had he slept walked over here and crawled in to sleep with her? That certainly didn't explain why he was under the blankets and she wasn't though. Not to mention, while he may sleep like a log, Lucy usually didn't sleep so deeply that him taking her blanket and squeezing onto the narrow space the couch afforded wouldn't wake her enough to kick him right back off again.

Had she or Happy put him here?

Craning his head slightly, Natsu was able to spot that Happy had, indeed, taken his place in the hammock rather than his usual little bed. Plus, hadn't he been on the couch too when they'd all gone to bed?

With a perplexed, though not unhappy, sigh, the dragon slayer dropped his head back onto Lucy's pillow. Well, whatever had happened, it certainly hadn't been his doing. That meant she couldn't blame him when she woke up in the morning, right?

Right.

So, he figured he might as well enjoy himself for the time being. Having her wrapped around him for a change was certainly novel, and pleasant. Though he'd never admit as much aloud, the dragon slayer felt...deeply cherished, in that moment. It was an absurd, 'girly' thought that would probably get him laughed right out of the guild by all his male friends, but that didn't mean it wasn't true.

He decided to relish it while he could as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Natsu woke for the second time, it was to the smell of bacon and coffee, and the murmur of people speaking quietly somewhere in the room. The conversation dropped off as he yawned widely and rolled over onto his back.

“You up Natsu?” Lucy called.

“Yeah,” he grumbled and rubbed his eyes fitfully. Something felt distinctly odd about his hammock, though. Finally able to see, the dragon slayer looked around and realized that he was, in fact, on the couch.

Memories of waking up in the middle of the night to find himself in Lucy's arms came flooding back, and Natsu felt his cheeks burn at the thought. So, apparently it hadn't been a dream, he really had ended up on the sofa with Lucy...somehow.

“Better come get your bacon and eggs before they get cold,” Lucy called when the dragon slayer didn't get up immediately.

Realizing that stalling when there was bacon and eggs to be had would only make him seem even more suspicious, Natsu pushed himself into a seated position, his bare feet hitting the cold floor, toes curling against the chill.

“Coming,” Natsu said, yawning widely again and rubbing his face fiercely to make his embarrassed blush less obvious.

As he stood and made his way to the table, the dragon slayer paused and stared when he saw Wendy and Carla already seated at it. Lucy was standing at the stove, doling bacon out onto a plate that already had a mound of eggs taking up half of it.

“Morning, Natsu!” Wendy said with one of her shy smiles “We didn't wake you, did we?”

“Nah,” he said, grinning at her to relieve the girl's worry as he settled into the chair across from her “What brings you over? Need help with something?” the dragon slayer asked. He was completely distracted, though, when Lucy placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned past him to put his plate on the table in front of him.

“I called Erza this morning and asked her to send Wendy over when she was available. Apparently she was available pretty early,” the blonde said with a teasing smile at their blue haired friend, her hand still resting gently on Natsu's shoulder.

The sky dragon slayer nodded and blushed lightly while Carla sipped at a cup of tea, amused by her partner.

“So why'd you ask her to come?” Natsu asked around a mouthful of bacon, craning around to look at Lucy, who had moved away to fiddle with a small silver percolator.

“Ew, don't talk with your mouth full,” she said, grimacing at him as she went to one of his cabinets and pulled out three more cups. Two normal sized ones, and another small one, presumably for Happy.

The dragon slayer grimaced right back, but chewed and swallowed before saying “Well?”

“He's not very observant first thing in the morning, is he?” Carla mused with a delicate snort.

“Hey, this is my house you know,” he complained, and Happy snickered. It was strange having so many people in his home with him, but despite all the little jabs and nagging, Natsu found that he enjoyed it. Maybe if there were people around like this all the time he wouldn't feel the need to go on missions so often just to escape the boredom.

“I called,” Lucy said loudly before Carla could counter “because of this.”

The blonde placed the cups down on the table and tapped Natsu lightly on the chest. He glanced down, and was surprised to note that there were two red spots on the bandages over his abdomen.

“You've got two more on your back that reopened too, so I thought it'd be a good idea to have Wendy look at them,” Lucy said as she stepped away and grabbed up the coffee pot. When she returned, the woman stood quite close to him as she filled the two larger cups, and placed a bottle of cream on the table next to the little bowl of sugar that was already there. Natsu found himself looking up at his friend, wondering why she continued to stray into his personal space. Not that he was complaining, of course. Still, it was unusual.

Happy lunged toward the cream with an elated cry, only to miss as Lucy deftly snatched it out of his reach. As a result, the cat slid straight off the table crashed to the floor, making Natsu burst out laughing, while Wendy giggled behind a hand, and Carla snorted into her cup.

“No way, Happy,” Lucy chided the cat sharply before continuing “You may have some cream, not all of it! You can drink out of a cup like a normal person.”

“But I'm a cat!” the exceed whined as he flew back up onto the table and watched her pour some cream into a cup, and then hand it to him.

“Exceed or human, you're still a person,” Lucy sniffed, making Natsu chuckle. Noticing, she grinned down at him, and then took her seat.

After fixing her coffee as she liked it, the blonde pushed the cream towards Natsu so he could do the same. While he was distracted, though, one of her hands snaked under his arm and snatched the last strip of bacon from his plate.

“Hey!” he objected, nearly sloshing his coffee in the process.

“Don't complain. I cooked, didn't I?” she said with a smile before biting into the crisp strip of bacon with relish.

“So what, it's a bacon tax?” Natsu demanded, leaning forward and putting his elbow on the table so he could fend off any attempts she might make on his remaining eggs.

“Pretty much,” Lucy replied smugly and took a sip of her coffee.

Across the table from them, Wendy and Carla watched the scene play out before them. The young dragon slayer just smiled fondly at her friends, enjoying the way they got along so well with one another. Carla, on the other hand, had a much more knowing expression on her face.

“So, when did you two get married?” she asked slyly, timing her question so it landed perfectly during a lull in their conversation.

Natsu choked on a mouthful of egg, and Lucy immediately flushed crimson and loudly stammered “W-WHAT?!”

“Well you two are acting like a married couple, so I just assumed...” Carla purred smugly, watching them both with large brown eyes from over the rim of her cup.

“C-Carla! That's rude!” Wendy stammered, blushing herself, though nowhere near so badly as her blonde friend.

“Married! When did this happen! Natsu, I get to be the best man, right?!” Happy demanded eagerly.

As Natsu wheezed, struggling to swallow while the blue exceed leaped forward and started hitting him on the back, there was a muffled 'whumph' and crackle beside him. Wendy yelped in surprise, clapping her hands over her mouth as she stared at Lucy, eyes wide with horror.

Finally managing to choke down the piece of egg that had lodged itself in his throat, Natsu whipped around to see what it was the other two females were staring at.

He nearly started choking again when he saw Lucy, sitting next to him, face literally on fire. She was fanning herself fretfully with her hands as she cried “Make it stop!”

Without thinking, Natsu grabbed up his mug of coffee and threw it's contents in her face, drenching her hair and top. The blonde froze as the hot drink extinguished the blaze, her hands stopping mid-flap as she blinked at him, utterly shocked.

“I-” he started, at a loss for words. Oh god, she was going to kill him.

“Lucy, I am so sorry,” Carla interrupted, stepping quickly across the table and offering the blonde her napkin as a sort of peace offering “I was completely out of line. I certainly didn't intend...”

“It's...It's alright,” Lucy managed to say as she took the square of cloth and patted her face. As she wiped at her eyes, the girl's shoulders began to shake and she bit down on her lip while the rest of the company looked on in horror.

Oh hell, he'd gone and made her cry! Now she was really going to kill him!

“Lucy, I'm sorry, don't cry!” he said, reaching out impulsively to brush her dripping hair out of her face “I was just trying to help,” the dragon slayer insisted worriedly as she continued to shake when he let his hand fall to rest on her damp shoulder.

“I'm just...” finally, a giggle escaped Lucy and she looked up at him, mirth shining in her brown eyes “Oh my god, that was so stupid,” she said and burst into helpless peals of laughter as she sagged back in the chair.

The tension broken, Happy giggled, and Carla looked relieved. Wendy smiled widely while Natsu heaved a sigh of relief and joined Lucy in laughing at the absurd scene.

Once she caught her breath, the woman pushed back her chair and got to her feet “Okay, I'm going to go take a shower...Wendy, why don't you take a look at Natsu while I do?”

“Right,” the younger girl said with a smile as Lucy grabbed her bag and headed directly for the bathroom. Turning her attention to Natsu, Wendy asked “Are you done eating?”

“Yeah, might as well get this over with,” the dragon slayer said as he pushed his plate away from him. Despite there being several bites left, nearly choking on his eggs had put him off his breakfast.

“Alright, lets get the bandages off first, then,” the young healer said as she approached Natsu where he sat and started unraveling the bandages. Unlike Lucy, she did not cut them off, for which the man was grateful. The last thing he needed was for more people to know that he was ticklish.

Natsu obligingly followed the blue haired slayer's directions, leaning this way and that to make her work easier as the bandages fell away. Once his torso was finally bare, he got to his feet so she could get a good look at him.

Wendy hummed quietly to herself as she circled around him, delicate, though strong, fingers poking and prodding him here and there.

“Oi!” Natsu winced as she poked a particularly tender spot.

“Sorry,” Wendy apologized quickly as she took a step back.

“So how is he?” Happy asked from where he sat next to Carla on the edge of the table, watching curiously.

“Quite well, all things considered,” the sky dragon slayer reassured them with a smile “I'm sure you've noticed that you don't heal as quickly without your dragon slayer magic, but it looks as though Lucy's is working hard to make up for the loss.”

Natsu blinked down at the girl in surprise. This was still considered healing quickly? It felt as though it were taking ages. All the same, though, the thought of Lucy's magic working just as hard as she did to keep him in one piece made him smile.

“Except for these four deepest wounds, I would say you're just about healed,” Wendy said with a firm nod as she pointed to the two deep puncture wounds on his front. There were two in almost exactly the same place on his back “It appears they were left by the alphyn's canines,” she remarked thoughtfully. A small frown appeared on her face as she leaned in more closely and added “It looks as though these were healing fine, but reopened very recently, perhaps within the last twelve hours...” she glanced up at him suspiciously and asked “You weren't fighting, were you?”

“No, not this time,” Natsu said, waving his hand energetically to dispel her suspicions. Despite telling the truth, though, he did wonder just how it had happened...perhaps it had something to do with why he had wound up on the couch the night previous? Maybe he'd fallen out of his hammock and Lucy hadn't been able to get him back into it?

“So is there anything you can do to speed things up?” he asked hopefully.

“Your system is already pretty saturated with healing magic left over from the hospital healers,” Wendy noted, and Natsu got the distinct impression that she could see something about him that he couldn't as she looked him up and down “But I should be able to at least close these up,” the girl said, pointing to his reopened wounds “The damage will still be there under the surface, but it'll heal faster on it's own if your body's not having to focus on fighting off potential infections because the wound is still open.”

“Do what you gotta do. I trust you, Wendy,” the elder dragon slayer said with a confident grin and a thumbs up for the girl.

Wendy flushed happily and nodded “Alright, stand still,” she said and raised her hands to hover over his injuries, green light flaring beneath her palms.

* * *

Wendy was done with her work and enjoying a cup of tea by the time Lucy emerged from the bathroom, freshly showered and wearing a new shirt.

“How'd the check-up go?” the blonde asked her young friend with a smile.

“Very well. I think it's safe to say that he'll be fully healed by tomorrow,” Wendy reassured the other girl as they both turned their attention to Natsu who was stretching, clad only in his pants in the middle of the room.

“Hey Luce,” the rose haired mage said brightly, clearly cheered by the good news he'd had from Wendy “Look, no more bandage shirt!” Natsu exclaimed enthusiastically as he pointed to his bare chest.

Indeed, the amount of bandages that Wendy had used to bind the older dragon slayer's remaining wounds was significantly lessened from before. Natsu now sported only a band of them around his waist, coming up to just below his rib cage. In place of the removed bandages, though, the man was sporting some new, tender looking scars.

“And here I thought you were trying to make a clever fashion statement,” Lucy said with a teasing smile to distract herself from the memories the sight brought to the surface.

“Fashion's your thing, Lucy,” the dragon slayer said, wrinkling his nose at the thought of him being a trend setter.

Laughing, the former celestial mage said “That much is obvious.”

“Since you're cleaned up, should we do some training?” Natsu suggested brightly, clearly eager and ready to go.

Lucy glanced to Wendy for permission, but the girl shook her head vehemently “You should hold off until tomorrow, Natsu. Any sort of vigorous exercise now could completely undo the work I just did.”

“Well, you heard the doctor,” Lucy said, giving her pink haired friend a sympathetic smile when he groaned “Tomorrow, I promise. You can teach me how to fry everything in the vicinity then.”

“But I'm bored!” Natsu complained, dragging his hands down his face dramatically “I'm not allowed to go on jobs, I'm not allowed to train...Just what am I supposed to do?!” he demanded, voice escalating in volume the longer he spoke.

A quiet 'oh' escaped Wendy, making Lucy glance down at the girl while Natsu continued ranting in the background. Honestly, she was surprised he hadn't had a melt down sooner. It really went to show just how injured he had been.

“What is it?”

“I just remembered that Levy asked me to pass a message on to you before I left this morning,” the shy dragon slayer admitted, blushing in embarrassment at her forgetfulness “She wanted you to meet her at the guild later. It seemed like she had some sort of lead on you and Natsu's...problem.”

Carla snorted “'Problem' hardly covers it,” she remarked as she watched the rose haired mage pace back and forth, gesticulating broadly as he vented to Happy, who sat on the couch and just nodded agreeably to whatever his friend said.

“A lead? Already?” Lucy asked in surprise. Sure, Levy and the others had volunteered to help them out, but she had no idea that the girl had already started working! Talk about a good friend.

Making up her mind, Lucy snatched up Natsu's vest from where he'd left it on top of his trunk the night before, and threw it at him “Come on, lets go!” she exclaimed excitedly.

The dragon slayer spluttered and snatched his top off of his head and stared at his friend, confused by this sudden turn of events “Go where?”

“Weren't you listening?” Lucy asked, rolling her eyes at him when he just blinked.

“No,” he admitted, having the good grace to look at least a little sheepish at this fact.

“Well come on, I'll tell you on the way!” the blonde said, and strode quickly out the door.

* * *

As soon as they entered the guild, Lucy immediately looked around for her other blue haired friend. Not spotting her in the main seating area, the woman made her way towards the miniature library the guild maintained, Natsu in tow while Wendy, Carla, and Happy headed for the bar.

“See her?” the man asked, just as eager as Lucy to talk to the solid script mage for a change. Not that Levy wasn't a perfectly nice person, and she was one of his partner's best female friends, but he had enough of a bookworm in his life in the form of Lucy. He didn't think he could handle one that was even worse than the blonde.

Not to mention, it wasn't as though Levy had anything that Lucy didn't already have in spades. Levy was smart? Well so was his Lucy! She was cute? Well his partner was cuter. Levy had pretty hair and soft brown eyes? Ha! Lucy's hair looked like spun gold in the afternoon sunlight, and her coffee colored eyes practically glowed whenever she smiled at him. And her body! The solid script mage definitely didn't have anything on his friend in that department! Lucy had all the right curves in all the right places, and boy did she know how to work them...

“Natsu?”

The dragon slayer started almost violently as he came out of his thoughts and realized that the blonde in question was standing right in front of him, waving her hand in his face in an attempt to get his attention.

“What?” He asked, fighting the urge to blush when he realized just where his mind had been straying to without him even noticing.

“Well there you are,” she remarked, amusement clear in her warm, brown eyes “I'm going to go check the data storage room to see if maybe Levy's in there.”

“Cool, I'll come with,” he volunteered with a grin.

Lucy's gaze strayed over his shoulder as she said “Actually, I think someone wants to talk to you. Why don't you come find me when you're done?”

“Eh?” looking around, Natsu spotted Gajeel leaning against a pillar, glaring expectantly at him, like he wanted something...Realization hit the dragon slayer like a bolt of lightning, and he said “OH! Yeah, I'll meet you there, Luce,” and immediately headed for the dark haired man, leaving the celestial spirit mage staring after him curiously. Eventually, though, she shrugged and headed off on her mission.

Before Natsu reached him, Gajeel turned and headed out the rear door, into the pool area. Realizing that there were people swimming, though, the iron dragon slayer continued to the back gate and shoved it open.

Looking as casual as possible, Natsu ducked out after him.

Out back, there was a narrow alley, which seemed to see little in the way of foot traffic. The fire dragon slayer looked up and down the street, and saw no one but Gajeel a little ways off, waiting expectantly.

“Woah, talk about shady!” Natsu remarked with a grin “I feel like you lured me out here to beat me up or something.”

Gajeel snorted and growled “If you don't start talking, I'll do more than beat you up, flame breath.”

“Hey, if you're gonna be like that, then I'm just gonna leave,” Natsu sniffed, enjoying the feeling of holding something over Gajeel for a change. He glanced at the other man slyly out of one eye, unable to help the smug grin that tugged at the corner of his lips.

Gajeel looked ready to bust a vein as he stared at Natsu “Why you-!” He sputtered, raising one fist threateningly at his fellow slayer.

“Hey look, if I don't at least get a 'please', I'm out,” Natsu said, unflinching when the taller man grabbed him by the vest, ready to strike.

Lucy would probably kick his ass if she caught him egging the iron dragon slayer on like this when he was so close to being completely healed...but Natsu's inner prankster just couldn't resist such a prime opportunity.

Much more quickly than anticipated, though, Gajeel relented, releasing him and taking a step back.

“Please,” he mumbled, dragging a hand down his face and glaring at the impudent, pink haired slayer, clearly embarrassed.

Natsu stared at Gajeel, taken completely off guard by how quickly the man surrendered. He had known the other slayer had a thing for Levy...but he hadn't realized that it ran quite that deeply. For the notoriously prideful iron dragon slayer to actually ask for his help...if that wasn't a sign he was in love with the solid script mage, Natsu wasn't sure what was.

Gajeel frowned and fidgeted awkwardly as Natsu's face took on a curiously thoughtful expression “What?” he snapped “Are you going to talk, or not? Cuz if you're just gonna stand there being creepy, then I'm out of here.”

It was, Natsu realized, almost like looking in a mirror. Gajeel was so desperate to act on his feelings towards Levy, yet was so unsure of whether or not they would be welcome...just as Natsu was with Lucy.

Okay, so maybe everyone in the guild wasn't totally out of line when they accused the male dragon slayers of being dense.

Irritated by Natsu's continued silence, Gajeel spun on heel and made to leave, only to be stopped by the other man's hand on his shoulder “Alright! Look, I've got some advice about Levy,” the fire dragon slayer said hurriedly before the other man could storm off.

“What, you expect me to take advice on...on r-romance from you?!” Gajeel demanded incredulously, stumbling over his words despite his annoyance.

Natsu held up his hands in surrender, acknowledging the logic behind his skepticism “Yeah, I know, sounds crazy, but...” the rose haired mage grinned and gave his fellow slayer a thumbs up “I've got inside information!”

Gajeel blinked, then regarded Natsu suspiciously “...from who?”

His grin widening, the younger slayer asked “Who's Levy's best friend?”

The dark haired man thought for a moment before hazarding a guess “One of those Shadow Gear idiots?”

Natsu rolled his eyes and tried again “Who's her best girl friend?”

Gajeel thought for a moment, rifling through his memories of Levy and who she liked to spend time with. Time and time again, a certain gold haired female appeared beside his crush...

Understanding dawned on the iron dragon slayer's face and his crimson eyes snapped to look down at Natsu “Lucy.”

“Bingo!” the younger slayer said smugly “And guess who got Lucy talking about how to tell if a girl likes a guy or not?” he asked and smirked proudly.

“You? Seriously?” Gajeel asked, shocked. It was short lived, though, as he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the other man and remarked out of the blue “You like her, don't you? That's why you got blondie talking in the first place.”

“Who, Levy?” Natsu asked, taken aback by the implication, and grimacing at the thought.

“No, idiot!” Gajeel snapped “Lucy! And are you trying to say Levy's not good enough for you or something?! She's perfect, you bastard!” the iron dragon slayer grabbed Natsu up by his vest again and shook him vehemently.

“Stop it, you moron!” the fire dragon slayer shouted, pulling out of Gajeel's grip and jumping back “Don't get upset because I don't have a thing for the same girl as you, idiot! You're right, I like Lucy!” he admitted, flushing as the words tumbled out without warning.

“Ha! I knew it!” Gajeel, said with a wicked grin.

“Shut up, you wanna hear this or not?” Natsu grumbled irritably.

The teasing grin falling from his face, the iron dragon slayer nodded seriously and said “Yeah, tell me everything she said!”

“Alright, first off...”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of debated for a bit on putting in the nightmare scene, considering this is Natsu we're talking about, and that boy barely knows the meaning of fear, lol. However, as I was thinking about it, it occurred to me that however confident (and crazy) he may be when conscious, his subconscious could still be plagued by the crap he goes through in the day to day. Your brain has to process all that trauma somehow. And lets be frank, the entire group has gone through some crazy trauma over the course of the series. With all the life and death, end of the world circumstances they find themselves in, they should really all have just...ALL of the PTSD, lol. Like seriously, Natsu has watched Lucy murdered before his very eyes while he stood by and wasn't able to do a thing about it. Even someone as resilient as him would have nightmares about that shit >__>
> 
> So that's how I justify that scene to myself, lol. Hopefully you enjoyed it!
> 
> Remember to leave a review! They really help keep me inspired to write, and without them my muse will dry up and blow away D8


	14. Making Headlines

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much to everyone that reviewed last chapter, it really does mean a lot to me! ;__; Those of you that actually take time to write a review after each chapter are the ones that help me keep writing, and I love you for it!
> 
> Boy the time between Saturday and Tuesday really flies by! It's like I turn around and suddenly it's time to update again!
> 
> Not much to say up here, so on with the show! Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed!

Lucy experienced a distinct sense of unease as she watched Natsu follow Gajeel out towards the pool. It wasn't at all like the two slayers to go somewhere out of the way to have a quiet conversation...they generally preferred shouting at one another in the middle of the guild.

Memory of the discussion she'd had with a drunken Natsu the day before came rushing back, though, and Lucy blinked. So...he had been serious about helping the iron dragon slayer? She hadn't thought he was actually going to do it, or that he would even remember the conversation considering how inebriated he'd been at the time. Apparently he could handle his booze better than she realized without his magic.

Suddenly full of hope for one of her best friend's love life, Lucy crossed her fingers and hoped that Natsu would somehow pull off his match-making gambit. As absurd as the thought was, the blonde supposed it was rather like him to want to help out a friend, even if that friend was also a rival. He had always been the 'go big or go home' type.

Smiling to herself, Lucy headed for the data storage room to the right of the entrance, and was rewarded by the sight of a familiar head of blue hair bent over an open book. Several other tomes were also open and scattered about the table before her as she flipped through one in particular, her gale-force reading glasses operating at top speed.

“Hey, Levy,” Lucy said with a smile for her friend as she settled into the chair across from her.

The solid script mage blinked up at her, clearly not having realized she was there until she spoke. Once she realized who it was, though, Levy broke out into a smile and said “Just the girl I wanted to see!”

“Wendy said you might have a lead on how to fix our little problem?” Lucy asked, unable to keep the eagerness out of her voice as she leaned over to take a look at one of the books on the table. Unfortunately, it was in a foreign language that looked like utter jibberish to her, so she had no idea what it might be discussing.

“Possibly,” Levy replied with a nod as she pushed her glasses up to perch on top of her head “It'll take some time, and I can't promise it'll work since it requires re-purposing an existing spell, though. That's always tricky.”

“At this point I'd dance naked on the roof if I thought it would help,” Lucy said with a snort, startling a laugh out of her friend at the mental image.

“Don't worry, it shouldn't require anything of the sort.”

Lucy feigned disappointment “Too bad for the boys, I suppose,” then shook her head, and grinned “So, what spell is it you're going to try to 're-purpose'?” she asked curiously.

“Well, it won't be just me. I've already talked to the Master about it, and he's agreed to help since it's bound to be complicated,” Levy demurred, even as she grabbed a particularly large tome that Lucy recognized as one the guild had made to record past jobs “Look familiar?” the solid script mage asked as she opened to a bookmark and turned it so Lucy could see.

The blonde gave a start as she did, in fact, immediately recognize the job poster staring up at her from the page “It's that changeling spell that made us all switch bodies ages back!” she exclaimed, then looked up at Levy with a horrified expression on her face “I know I said I want my magic back, but I really don't want to have to live out the rest of my life as a guy to do it, Levy!”

Levy laughed and immediately shook her head “Don't worry, that's where the re-purposing comes in. I think that, between Master and I, we can modify the spell so it will switch your magic, instead of your minds.”

A relieved expression immediately crossed the former celestial mage's features and she nodded thoughtfully “And you really think it'll work? I remember last time that it seemed pretty...unmanageable. Didn't you and the others wind up having to use the spell to play 'musical bodies' until everyone wound up back where they were supposed to after the time limit ran out on the counter-spell?”

Levy grimaced at the memory, and nodded “Yeah, but Master thinks it'll work once we get all the details figured out,” she reassured her friend confidently before looking back down at the book she had been studying before Lucy came in. She glanced up in surprise when said friend tapped the back of her hand with one finger.

“Hey, why don't you take a break? I'll buy you a drink,” Lucy said solicitously as she noticed the redness in her friend's eyes. How long had the other girl been cooped up in here anyways? All for her and Natsu's sake, too.

The solid script mage hesitated, and then nodded “Sure, why not? I could use a break.”

“That's the spirit!” the blonde said with a grin as she accompanied her friend over to the bar and paid for a smoothie for each of them.

Deciding it was too nice of a day out to sit inside, the pair wandered out to the front patio area and seated themselves some ways away from the gift shop. They each sipped their drinks in companionable silence for a minute before Levy finally spoke up, a speculative look on her face.

“So, word around the guild is that you fought off a dozen ninjas the other night before taking the head of their leader to Erza so she can track down who put a contract out on your life.”

Lucy sputtered and choked on her fruit drink, making Levy laugh as she casually sipped her own. Dripping fruit juice, Lucy tossed her little paper umbrella at her friend “You timed that!” she accused, mopping at her face with a napkin.

“Maybe,” the blue haired girl said with an impish smile, batting away the harmless projectile.

“Is that really what everyone is saying?” Lucy asked after a moment of silence, vaguely embarrassed, but also oddly proud of the strange rumor.

“Yes,” Levy admitted with a chuckle “Though I don't think most people take it seriously, just like most rumors around here.”

“Tch, you'd think nobody believed I could take out a dozen ninjas if I had to or something,” Lucy sniffed.

Levy chuckled “I believe you could, Lucy.”

“Thanks,” the blonde said with an amused grin before leaning back in her chair and closing her eyes. As she cradled her frozen drink in her hands, Lucy relished the feel of the early afternoon sun on her skin. It didn't have the same sort of heat that it normally did for her, but somehow, it just felt better. It relaxed the woman in a way that a hot bath used to before inheriting Natsu's magic had rendered all water under boiling temperature lukewarm.

“The other rumor going around is that you're staying with Natsu and Happy,” Levy said, startling Lucy from her reverie.

“O-oh. Yeah. That one's true,” she admitted, trying to convince herself not to be embarrassed by this fact. It was perfectly normal, and it wasn't like they'd done anything that they wouldn't at her own house. This was nothing new, dammit, the location had just changed! “Natsu insisted so we could start training until we get our magic problem sorted. I think he's worried I might blow someone up,” she said with a snort. Honestly, though, she didn't blame him for thinking as much. Dragon slayer magic was an extraordinarily powerful destructive force. Natsu had grown into, and developed, his over the years, but Lucy had been abruptly saddled with the full weight of his power all at once.

“Well, it shouldn't be long before we can get you guys fixed up, but it probably doesn't hurt to practice in the mean time,” Levy said with a nod of approval at the sensibility of the plan.

Hoping to turn the conversation from her and Natsu before it even really got under way, Lucy asked “So, any progress with Gajeel?”

“What, since just the other day?” Levy asked with an incredulous laugh.

“Well yeah,” Lucy said, scrambling for a reason. Luckily, she had a legitimate one close at hand “He arranged things just so he could hang out with you at karaoke! And you should have seen the way he carried you upstairs after you passed out yesterday. He was really gentle and refused to let Erza take, you,” the blonde said with a knowing smile.

“R-really?” the blue haired girl asked, flushing prettily as she turned her attention quickly to her drink and took a long sip through the straw.

Considering her friend for a moment, Lucy decided that if Natsu wanted to play matchmaker with their friends, then she might as well lend a hand. Goodness knew Levy could use a little helpful push, not just Gajeel.

“Say, you should invite him on a job!” she said with a grin.

“What?!” Levy asked incredulously, though after a moment's thought, she seemed intrigued by the idea. She sighed heavily and shook her head “I'd never be able to manage it without Jett and Droy tagging along, and you know how that always goes.”

Both girls went quiet for a moment as they mulled it over. Lucy's eyes strayed from her drink when someone else came out of the front door. To her mild surprise, it was Gajeel, a drink in hand, with apparently the same idea as them. After looking around for a moment, which allowed Lily to catch him up, he took a seat at a table some distance from them, kicking his feet up and relaxing back in his chair. Lily settled on the table and seemed to be speaking to the iron dragon slayer, though the man wasn't doing more than grunting in response.

Pulling her attention back to Levy, Lucy suggested “Hey, what if you arrange to go on a job with Jett and Droy, but play hooky at the last minute, then go on one with Gajeel instead?”

“I don't know, that sounds kind of mean...” the kind-hearted girl murmured, though she did seem to be giving it some serious thought. She loved her fellow Shadow Gear members dearly, but it was awfully hard to spend time with Gajeel when they were around. Most of the time the three males were together, Jett and Droy would tease and pick at the iron dragon slayer in turns until he finally exploded and either made them eat dirt, or left. Needless to say, she was never pleased with them after the fact, however injured they wound up as a result of their own idiocy.

“Yeah a little,” Lucy said, distracted by Gajeel and Lily again. The black exceed's tail was twitching irritably as he continued talking to his companion. The lanky man was ignoring him, though. In fact, he had an oddly absent-minded look about, him like he wasn't paying his friend the least bit of attention “It'd probably be worth it though,” she said, eyes narrowing thoughtfully.

“I suppose if Gajeel and I just went on a short mission, they wouldn't even have to know I'd ever left...” Levy pointed out, clearly well on her way to talking herself into it.

The blonde agreed absently as she watched the boys at the other table out of the corner of her eye. Lily's gaze kept flicking over to her and Levy, but Gajeel waved him off impatiently.

Just what were they doing? Gajeel hadn't even touched his drink, and it wasn't like him to ignore his friend that way. In fact, the way he was acting it was almost as though he were trying to listen to something, but Lily kept interrupting. What would they be listening to way over there by themselves, though?

The answer reared it's ugly head in the back of Lucy's mind, and the woman went rigid, pure fury burning through her veins as she stared down at her drink, which flash boiled in her hand.

“You know what? I'm going to do it! I think I saw the perfect job request on the board earlier, too. I'm going to go take a look!” Levy said, having clearly made up her mind while her friend was distracted “You coming?” she asked as she leaped to her feet.

“You go ahead,” Lucy said with deceptive calmness “I'm just going to enjoy the sun a little longer and then I'll be right in.”

“Don't fall asleep!” the solid script mage warned with a light laugh and practically skipped back inside, pausing only to wave shyly at Gajeel, too excited to notice her blonde friend's change in demeanor.

“Yeah,” Lucy said, and then opened her senses, focusing on the sounds that poured in around her. The muffled murmur of people inside the guild talking, bird song from a block or two away...then honed in on Lily, who was still talking as Gajeel raised a hand to wave back at Levy. Lucy realized she could hear him clear as day. And if she could hear them...

“-highly inappropriate. Such things are not at all honorable,” Lily hissed quietly at his friend, and in that moment, the former celestial mage knew her suspicion had been correct.

The bastard had been spying on them.

The glass in Lucy's hand shattered, attracting Gajeel and Lily's attention from across the courtyard.

Slowly pushed her chair back, the blonde got to her feet and took a deep breath as the air around her began to super heat.

“I told you!” Lily said as the heat haze around Natsu's partner became apparent. He leaped quickly from the table and made a mad dash for the door, leaving Gajeel staring open-mouthed after him.

“Oh shit,” the iron dragon slayer said as Lucy strode menacingly towards, him, his friend's words finally registering. He hadn't been just telling him off for listening in on the girl's conversation, he'd been warning him. Lucy hadn't just inherited Natsu's magic...she'd inherited his senses as well. She would know that hearing a single pair chattering in an empty courtyard would be a slice of cake for a dragon slayer...

“H-hey blondie,” Gajeel said, clambering to his feet, making a last ditch effort to seem innocent. The heat rolling off of the girl was incredible, singeing the edges of her clothes and making her golden hair curl.

Turning her eyes up to meet his, the iron dragon slayer was startled to notice that they had changed from dark brown, to amber “You son of a bitch,” she growled, low and menacing.

“I didn't do anything!” Gajeel said, taking a step back and nearly tripping over his chair. Somehow, despite the fact that he knew he could take the girl if she attacked him (she might have his rival's powers, but she didn't have his experience fighting with them, after all), the look in her eyes made him want to go cower in a corner. Or, better yet, drop to his knees and beg forgiveness.

“There are certain things in this life, Gajeel,” Lucy said as she continued advancing, pace slow as she mirrored his retreat. Her voice was level and calm, but he'd swear he could see death in her eyes “-that you just don't do. You don't swear in a church, you never agree that a girl looks fat in those pants...”

Gajeel's back hit the wall, and the man briefly considered punching his way through it to escape. He could smell the ends of his hair beginning to burn as the furious blonde stepped in close to the point that she was nearly nose to nose with him, and proceeded to hem him in by placing one hand on the wall to either side of his shoulders.

“-and you do not spy on women having 'girl talk', do you understand me? Because if just anyone was allowed to listen, well...it wouldn't be girl talk, now would it?”

* * *

Inside the guild, Lily ran smack into Natsu's chest as he burst through the door in his haste to escape the bloodbath he was convinced was about to unfold outside.

Reflexively, the rose haired mage caught the scarred exceed “Oh, hey Lily!” he said and grinned down at him “Say, you haven't seen Lucy around, have you?”

To his surprise, the warrior cat flinched at his partner's name. It occurred to Lily, though, that here was the one man that might be able to save Gajeel from certain doom.

“She's outside,” he said, pointing weakly at the door he had just flown through, and hovered out of the dragon slayer's grasp.

“Oh, thanks,” Natsu said with an oblivious smile before heading out.

Squinting against the afternoon sun, Natsu looked around for his partner. He'd seen Levy over at the job board, so he assumed that she must be out here alone. No doubt she could use some company, which would afford him the chance to start putting his advice to Gajeel to his own use...

The rose haired mage stopped cold when he spotted Lucy and the iron dragon slayer off to one side of the courtyard. Stomach dropping sickeningly, he watched his best friend advance on the dark haired man, and place one hand on either side of him against the wall. She turned her head up to gaze deeply into Gajeel's eyes, almost nose to nose with him now, and Natsu felt as though his heart had frozen in his chest. Confusion and heartbreak warred with fury as he struggled to breathe.

Just what did Gajeel think he was playing at, that bastard? Didn't he like Levy? Well of course he did, that was obvious, but...did he really think that he could have Lucy too?

Gritting his teeth to keep from shouting obscenities at his rival, Natsu advanced rapidly on the pair. He wasn't sure what he was going to do when he got there, but it definitely wasn't going to be pleasant for the other dragon slayer.

He watched as Lucy pulled one hand back, and then, unexpectedly, made a fist out of it and slammed it deep into the stonework just to the left of Gajeel's head, making the man flinch. Natsu paused in confusion as the entire scene seemed to take on a completely different air than he'd read a moment before.

“Do you understand me, Gajeel?” Lucy hissed, and her friend, watching from just out of her line of sight, realized the expression on her lovely face wasn't one of a girl about to kiss a boy...it was that of a woman about to bite the head off of a particularly stupid man “You try any more of that sneaky, spying bullshit on my friend again, and I swear by all that is holy, I will hunt you down and turn you into scrap metal.”

Gajeel blanched, and nodded, and Natsu couldn't help but wince in sympathy. He'd seen Lucy mad plenty of times, but he'd never seen her so livid at someone she normally counted among her friends. Just what the hell had the man done after they'd gone their separate ways? It must have been monumentally stupid, whatever it was. Either way, the wave of relief that hit the rose haired mage was enough to set his hands trembling.

He shoved them in his pockets as Lucy took a step back and allowed the iron dragon slayer to move. Gajeel did his best to play it cool and saunter away as though he wasn't bothered by the blonde's threats...but he hadn't even made it to the front gate before his shoulders went up around his ears and he slunk out as quickly as possible, proverbial tail between his legs.

“The hell was all that about?” Natsu asked curiously, breaking the silence as he approached Lucy, who was watching the other man go, arms crossed fiercely over her ample chest. He was still several yards away from her, though, before he was forced to stop by the incredible heat that was rolling off of her in waves. Frankly he was amazed that she hadn't burst into flames already.

Starting at his voice, Lucy spun on heel, and Natsu almost swallowed his tongue at the look she gave him. No wonder Gajeel hadn't tried to make some smart-mouthed comment on his way out the gate, like he normally would have.

“You,” she hissed with such venom that Natsu actually took a step back.

“Me?” he repeated, a slight squeak creeping into his voice.

“Did you put him up to this spy crap?!” she demanded, waving a hand derisively in the direction Gajeel had fled in “I actually caught him listening in on Levy and I's conversation!”

Staring wide eyed as Lucy glared at him, some absurd part of his brain couldn't help but notice how incredibly hot (literally and figuratively) his partner was when she was angry. Her amber eyes seemed to glow from within, and her hair curled and flowed about her shoulders in the heat, as though it possessed a mind of it's own.

He shook his head vehemently “What? No way! I just told him all that stuff you told me yesterday! You know, spending time and blushing, and liking compliments and stuff. If he was spying, that was his own stupid idea,” Natsu insisted sincerely as he eyed the blonde nervously.

She regarded him suspiciously for a moment, before she seemed to shake herself and take a deep breath. Natsu was relieved to note that not only did the heat die down almost immediately, a smile returned to her face as well. It was a little rueful, but a smile all the same.

“Sorry, didn't mean to bite your head off. I should have known you wouldn't suggest something like that,” Lucy apologized with a grimace, walking back towards the table she had been sitting at before with Levy.

Stooping down, she started picking up fragments of glass off the ground and placing them on the table “I don't know what happened...the thought of him listening in on us just mad me so...so angry,” she said, frowning as she worked “I mean, learning what signs to look for is one thing, but using dragon senses to listen to private conversations...that's just cheating.”

Joining his friend, Natsu grinned at her as he picked up a particularly large piece of glass and said “It's fine. I don't know what got into him...I guess maybe he's more desperate than he let on.”

Lucy sniffed, but her words lacked any real sting when she replied “That's no excuse for spying.”

Natsu just chuckled as they finished cleaning up the sticky, pointy mess “What'd you do, boil your juice?” he asked, confused by the strange, tacky texture of the stuff that had welded itself to the glass.

“Yeah,” the blonde admitted with a disappointed sigh as she scooped the debris into the largest fragment and dumped it in a nearby trashcan.

Smiling fondly at the girl while her back was turned, Natsu stepped up beside her and looped an arm around her shoulder “Well, come on, lets get you another. We can put it on Gajeel's tab” he said and grinned impishly down at her.

Lucy laughed and nodded, beaming up at him as her warm brown eyes met his “Yeah, sounds good. I'm parched from all that work it took not to go up like a torch.”

“I noticed. You're getting better at that,” Natsu admitted readily as they walked towards the door, his arm still around her. When she made no move to pull out of his grasp, the dragon slayer couldn't resist giving her an affectionate squeeze, reveling the way she fit so perfectly against him, and how easily they fell into step with one another without having to think about it.

After the scare he'd had earlier, thinking that Lucy had been moving in on Gajeel...having her here with him was a balm to his heart, even if it did dredge up Happy's warning from karaoke night.

_'Well, if **you've** noticed that Lucy is pretty and wonderful enough to want to kiss her...chances are a lot of other guys have too...'_

* * *

A little while later, Lucy's second smoothie was long gone, and she was watching Natsu and Gray bicker over a game of cards at a nearby table. She was, technically speaking, helping Levy with her research by working on the translation of a passage her friend needed, but the lively nature of the guild had quickly distracted her. She really ought to have just stayed in the library, but then, beverages weren't allowed in there, so...

“Mind if I sit here?”

The question drew the blonde's attention from her friends and down towards the floor, where she saw Makarov smiling up at her.

“Go ahead,” she said, grabbing her notebook from the table before the master as he hopped up and settled himself in comfortably.

She had to admit, she was a little surprised to have the old man approach her this way. While it was common for Makarov to spend time among his brats, it was odd for him to seek out one in particular to sit by. Normally he sat somewhere alone and allowed his children to come to him.

“Erza tells me you were attacked the night before our last conversation,” Makarov said, glancing up at her before turning his gaze back towards the guild in general, acting casual.

Ah, that explained it.

“Yeah,” Lucy admitted “With everything else that's been going on, I kinda forgot to bring it up in our meeting,” she sighed thoughtfully and fiddled with her empty cup “I guess I was just trying to convince myself that maybe it was a random attack, too. Erza seems pretty convinced otherwise, though.”

“I happen to agree with her,” the Master admitted, making Lucy wince, but nod in agreement all the same.

“I just don't understand why me, though,” she admitted, a frown tugging at her lips.

Makarov stared up at her for a long minute, making her blush before he finally said “Lucy, there's any number of reasons why some unknown agency might have targeted you.”

“It's not like my family is important anymore, though,” she objected “The Heartfilia fortune, our estate...everything is gone. What else could they possibly want from me? Plus, that blade was poisoned. They weren't trying to kidnap me for ransom or my magic, they were trying to kill me.”

“Any number of things, I imagine,” the old man beside her said bluntly “You're an important member of Fiore's most powerful guild, with whom you have played a major part in averting all manner of catastrophes. Someone could be out for revenge,”

“M-maybe,” Lucy admitted demurely, picking at the corner of her notebook before looking at him again “But that describes a lot of people here, not just me.”

“Fair enough,” Makarov acknowledged “However, no one else in this guild is one of only three remaining known celestial spirit mages. No one else owns ten of the twelve Zodiac Keys.”

Lucy stared at the old man, eyes going wide “You think that's why I was attacked? I guess it would explain why they ran off as soon as I fought back using something besides celestial spirit magic when I don't have a reputation for using anything else...They must have thought I was someone else.”

Makarov nodded, but averted his eyes, making Lucy narrow her own and ask “You know something else you're not letting on, don't you?”

The old man shook his head and sighed, suddenly looking tired “No, I don't know anything. I've only whispers and suspicions...” Changing the subject, Makarov looked up at her again and asked “So, you're staying with Natsu for the time being?”

Wrong footed by the sudden change in subject, Lucy nodded “Yeah.”

“Good, not many know where his house is. It'll be an adequate hide out for the time being,” he murmured “Erza mentioned you and Natsu would be training until we're able to get your powers switched back?”

Lucy nodded again “Yeah. Natsu wanted to start today, but Wendy told him to hold off until tomorrow. She thinks he ought to be fully healed by then.”

Makarov nodded and stroked his mustache absently as he said “Right. I've hope that this spell Levy suggested will work, but it will be better if you and Natsu are able to defend yourselves in the mean time. No point in having you be sitting ducks with a bunch of would-be assassins running about.”

Lucy couldn't resist the smile that tugged at her lips at his words. He really was the guild's father with how he worried over each and every one of his surrogate children. The smile fell away, though, as a thought occurred to her.

“Excuse me, Master, but I think I need to go,” she said as she pushed back her chair and got to her feet.

“Eh?” Makarov said, blinking at her sudden change in demeanor “Is something wrong?”

“I hope not,” Lucy said as she scooped up her books “But it just occurred to me, that if there's a good chance that I was attacked because I'm a celestial spirit mage, or because of my keys...Yukino should be warned. If they're after me for those reasons, they'll go after her for the same. Maybe you should try contacting the princess as well, just in case.”

The Master nodded grimly at her and was about to let her go, when he called out to her again “Lucy!”

Pausing, she looked around “Yes, Master?”

His eyes darted meaningfully over to where Natsu still sat with Gray and a few other friends who had joined in on the card game “Keep him safe. If whoever is behind all this discovers what happened between the two of you...He could become a target as well.”

Lucy's eyes widened slightly as she glanced over at her dear friend where he was grinning wickedly across the table at Happy, who had apparently just lost the latest hand of their game.

Turning her attention back to Makarov, she nodded firmly and said “With my life, sir.”

* * *

Lucy had intended to leave without Natsu noticing so he wouldn't insist on coming with her, but she really ought to have known better.

“Oi, Lucy! Wait up!”

The blonde winced when the familiar voice reached her ears, but paused all the same, knowing full well that she couldn't just pretend she hadn't heard him. She did, after all, have his sense of hearing now.

“Where are you going, Lucy?” Happy asked, fluttering about his human partners as he and Natsu caught up, obviously hoping they were going somewhere interesting.

“And why'd you leave without saying anything?” Natsu complained as they started walking again.

“I was just going to visit Yukino, actually,” she answered truthfully “You don't have to come. It looked like you were having fun with your game,” Lucy said with a smile at her rose haired friend.

“Nah, that bastard Gray beat me anyways,” the dragon slayer lied. Honestly, he'd actually had a pretty good hand going, but seeing as getting any alone time with Lucy was difficult in the guild (especially when she was insisting on doing research), he'd decided to jump at the opportunity to go out. Still, the fact that they were going to visit someone else was a bit wrench in his plans. Well, he'd take what he could get.

“You've been visiting her a lot lately,” Happy noted casually.

“Yeah,” Lucy said with a nod, before admitting “She's the one that I've been working out with, actually,” as a light blush crawled across her cheeks “Yuki's been teaching me how to fight.”

Natsu froze mid-step, and looked at her in surprise “What, seriously?”

“Well, yeah...” the blonde said as she, too, stopped and met his eyes. She was taken off-guard by the hurt she found there.

“Why'd you ask her? I would've taught you if you wanted to learn,” the dragon slayer said with a frown “I didn't even know that you wanted to learn.”

Normally, this wouldn't have been so strange. After all, friends had lives of their own outside of the guild. They did things with other people, practiced their magic...the fact that it was Lucy, though, his Lucy, made it not at all acceptable. They shared everything! Something as important as learning to protect herself...shouldn't she have come to him first? Before now, if he had been asked whether or not she would, Natsu would have answered in the affirmative without a second thought. It was shocking to find out that he would have been wrong.

It kinda hurt.

“I-I'm sorry, Natsu,” Lucy said, pained by the look he was giving her. He looked as though she'd just kicked his puppy “I know you would have taught me, I just...” she looked down at her feet in embarrassment and mumbled the rest of her answer.

“What?” Natsu asked, cursing his now normal sense of hearing.

His friend dragged her eyes from the ground and repeated “I said I just didn't think I could handle your teasing me! You're so strong, I knew you'd just find my attempt funny. I'm not like you, I'm not a natural when it comes to hand-to-hand combat.”

The dragon slayer just stared at her, so she continued “So I decided to ask Yukino to teach me. She's really good, but I knew she had to learn the hard way, like I would. Plus, after everything that happened in the spirit world, with us not being able to use our keys...I knew she'd be able to sympathize with why I wanted to learn.”

“You really thought I'd laugh at you?” Natsu asked when her words trailed off and she watched him worriedly. He shoved his hands in his pockets, frowning as he met her gaze.

“Well, wouldn't you?” She asked, nibbling her lower lip as her brow creased unhappily “I know you wouldn't mean anything by it, and I know you'd genuinely want to teach me, Natsu, but you have to admit that you'd probably expect more of me than I could give. At least at first. For you, fighting is as easy as breathing, and I've seen you spar with friends. You find it funny when they can't keep up with you.”

Lucy averted her eyes once more, fingers entwining nervously before her as she added “I just...didn't want you to laugh at me,” in a quiet voice.

Natsu stared at her, completely aghast. She thought that he would laugh at her efforts if he trained her? Did Lucy really think he was that mean? Sure, he did have a habit of teasing his friends when they sparred, and he did find it pretty funny when she would make some (in his mind) half-hearted attempt to kick his ass when he annoyed her, but...

Oh, hell.

Before the dragon slayer had a chance to say anything, a sniffling above his head made both humans look up in surprise. Without warning, a teary eyed Happy threw himself into Lucy's arms and buried his face in her chest.

“Lucy! I'm sorry Natsu's such a jerk!” the blue exceed wailed as the girl chuckled and wrapped her arms around her furry little friend.

“Oh Happy, it's not your fault he's insensitive,” the blonde reassured him, petting his head fondly, an amused smile tugging at her full lips.

“Hey!” Natsu objected vehemently, only to stopped in his tracks when Lucy looked up at him and winked.

“That said, I am sorry, Natsu,” the woman said as she released Happy and gave her friend an embarrassed smile “I should have at least told you I was having Yuki train me, rather than hiding it.”

The dragon slayer was half tempted to hold onto his grudge, but found it melting away in the face of her penitent smile “No, I guess I understand why you did it,” he admitted with a rueful grin “And you're probably right, anyway. You do know me better than just about anyone else, after all,” he added, a slight blush creeping across his features as he ran one hand distractedly through his wild hair.

Touched by her friend's unexpected maturity in admitting his flaws, Lucy's smile brightened, making the dragon slayer's blush deepen. Impulsively, she stepped in and pressed a kiss to his cheek “Thanks,” she said, blushing furiously herself by the time she darted back and started off walking again at a quick pace.

Natsu could only stand and stare after her for a long moment, heart pounding erratically in his chest as he watched her go.

“What did I do to deserve that?” he wondered aloud, fingers going to his cheek where the warmth of her lips still lingered. He'd only felt them for a moment, but he was pretty sure they were just as soft as he'd imagined they were.

“Maybe she just likes when you admit that you're wrong,” Happy snickered gleefully as he proceeded to fly loopty-loops in the air, singing “Lucy likes Natsu, Lucy likes Natsuuuu!”

“O-oi! Shut up!” Natsu hissed, jumping up and grabbing Happy by the tail before Lucy could hear their little friend's song.

“Natsu, what are you doing? Come on!”

“Coming!” the dragon slayer called as he rushed after her, a squirming Happy tucked under his arm. When he caught her up, Natsu automatically fell into step with her and released the exceed once more after giving him a stern warning glance.

“So, why are we going to visit Yukino again?” Natsu asked curiously, hoping he didn't sound as awkward as he suddenly felt. What did you do after the girl you liked kissed you on the cheek? It wasn't a sure sign that she liked you after all, from what he had noticed around the guild...for the time being he guessed he'd just have to go on as normal. Still, it was promising, right?

“Oh,” Lucy said, blinking as she realized that she'd never actually explained herself “Well, I was talking to Master back at the guild, and he mentioned that he suspected one of the reasons those ninja guys might have attacked me was because I'm a celestial spirit mage, and I have most of the Zodiac Keys. Well, normally anyways. So I thought, if they went after me, then maybe-”

“Maybe they'd target Yukino too,” Natsu finished, catching on quickly.

“Right,” the blonde said with a nod as she smiled at him, her cheeks still pink from before.

Did this constitute blushing more than usual, he wondered? It was hard to tell, it seemed like he made her blush at least a half-dozen times on a normal day. He had, Natsu realized belatedly, never really watched her closely around any of their male friends. Not so much so as to have some sort of basis for comparison anyways.

As they walked together, the dragon slayer found it hard to shake the almost panicky awkwardness that had settled over him. He had an overwhelming desire to reach out and take her hand in his, weaving their fingers together as they strolled along, side-by-side. He couldn't do that though, right? That was a couple thing, and they definitely weren't a couple. On the other hand, didn't he hold her hand all the time? It certainly felt like he did. He'd never even really thought about it before, though. He just...grabbed her whenever he felt like it, and she never seemed to object.

So, why was it so hard now? Was he just thinking about it too much, or, after the kiss she'd given him, would she get the wrong idea? Or, rather, would she get entirely the right idea, and be scared off?

Ugh, why were things so complicated?!

He should just do it. Just...just go for it and let her draw whatever conclusions she wanted! They'd held hands plenty of times before; it wasn't weird that he'd want to do it while they were just walking down the road...right?

Just as Natsu had screwed up his courage and reached out to take her hand in his, though, Lucy suddenly stepped out of range, distracted by something on the other side of the street.

“Hey, what's going on over there?” she wondered, pointing out the veritable mob of people crowded around a corner newsstand.

Both cursing, and blessing his lucky stars, Natsu followed his friend's gaze and took note of the odd crowd as well “Dunno,” he admitted with a shrug.

Before he could say more, though the blonde was crossing the street to investigate, forcing him to follow after.

“Nice try, Natsu. Better luck next time,” Happy murmured in his ear as he landed on the man's shoulder.

The dragon slayer ignored the cat's comment as he caught up to Lucy, who was trying to convince the stall owner to sell her a newspaper, only to find that he was sold out.

“I don't know what everyone is freaking out about, but apparently it's in the paper,” she informed them as she leaned over and tried to get a good look at someone else's copy, only to have them turn away before she could start reading.

Lucy frowned in annoyance and stomped a foot, her petulance amusing Natsu. Taking pity on her, he reached over and snatched a paper out of the hands of the man next to him, then passed it to Lucy.

She grabbed it eagerly and began to skim the front page before flipping over to another page to continue while the person Natsu had snatched it from objected loudly.

“So what's up? Anything actually interesting?” He asked, as he held the man off with one hand.

“That's my paper! Give it back you hoodlums!”

“Hold your horses, you can have it back in a minute,” Natsu said with a snort as he looked at the man who was attempting to make a grab for Lucy.

“Here' I'm already done,” the blonde said and handed the man back his paper “Thank you very much, sorry to trouble you,” she added with her most endearing smile and a casual flip of her long, golden hair.

Natsu stared, and the man he had been holding back stopped struggling immediately.

“O-oh, no problem at all, miss. Any time.”

She smiled at him again, and batted her eyelashes before taking Natsu by the arm and leading him away from the hubbub of the crowd.

“Nice, Lucy,” Happy snickered from the dragon slayer's shoulder, earning himself a grin from the girl.

“A smile can go a long way, you know,” she said lightly. These days she didn't often use her looks to ease her way through life, but she'd be lying if she said it didn't come in handy occasionally.

“Yeah, I think you might have caught Natsu in the crossfire, though,” Happy said, leaning over to wave his paw in front of their friend's face.

“She did not,” the dragon slayer objected, starting abruptly, tearing his gaze from Lucy as a smile tugged at one corner of her lips.

The girl in question regarded her best friend curiously, wondering, for the first time, if her charms had actually worked on him. He'd always seemed completely oblivious in the past...curious, and perhaps calling for further investigation...

For the time being, though, they had things to do.

Giving herself a shake, Lucy said “Come on, we can walk and talk. We need to get to Sabertooth.”

As she headed off, Natsu and Happy followed along. Once they were away from the crowd, the exceed asked “So, what's everyone so upset about in the paper?”

“Apparently Princess Hisui turned down a marriage proposal,” Lucy replied thoughtfully.

“So what's the big deal?” Natsu asked “She's a princess, she can marry who she wants, right?” he said with a careless shrug, not sure what the fuss was about. People got married all the time.

Lucy rolled her eyes at her friend and said “Royal weddings tend to be a big deal, Natsu. For one, they don't happen often, for another it can affect the entire country in a big way if the person Hisui marries is royalty from another land.”

“So, who proposed?” Happy asked, obviously more curious about the subject than the man who's shoulder he was currently perched on.

“The kind of Telmare...” she answered, trying to remember foggy geography lessons from years past. She knew it was across the sea to the north of them, but that was all she could really recall about it.

“Why's it a big deal if she didn't want to marry him?” Natsu asked, still confused.

“Well, I don't really know much about the country, but they might take it as an insult...” a grim expression came over Lucy's features as she added “Technically, they could declare war over it.”

“Seriously?” The dragon slayer asked “That's stupid. So what if she doesn't want to marry him, it's hardly worth getting a lot of people killed,” he said with a frown at the thought. He was all for a good fight, but an all out war was something else entirely.

Lucy smiled at her friend's naive opinion “Generally, Natsu, royalty don't marry for love. They do it for alliances to make the country stronger, or to bring peace. If the princess turned this king down, he either didn't have much to offer, or he and his kingdom are...objectionable.”

“Poor Princess Hisui,” Happy murmured thoughtfully “It must be terrible not to be able to marry someone you love.”

“It is,” Lucy agreed, frowning as she recalled how close she had come to sharing a similar fate for the sake of her father's business just over a year ago.

Natsu glanced from Happy, to Lucy, and 'tsked' disdainfully “Girls should just be able to marry whoever they want, princess or no,” he said with characteristic straightforwardness.

As they approached the front door of the Sabertooth guild, Lucy smiled ruefully and replied “I've no doubt girls the world over would agree with you, Natsu. Sadly, their father's sometimes don't.”

Pushing open the doors, Lucy entered the guild first, closely followed by her friends. The first thing she noticed was the odd tension in the air. Rogue, Sting, Yukino, and a few other guild members were all gathered in the lobby, speaking to one another with quiet intensity.

Yukino was the first to notice them, and the look of immense relief that crossed the other girl's face was all Lucy need to see to know that something had already happened here.

“Oh Lucy!” she said, pushing past the White and Shadow dragon slayers to approach her. She was stopped almost immediately by Sting, though, who was staring at Lucy with hard, sapphire eyes.

“Yuki, don't,” he told her in a tone that brooked no argument. Rogue, picking up on Sting's tone and body language, stepped up beside him “That's not Lucy,” the white dragon slayer growled.

“What?!” Lucy exclaimed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If we're being honest, I actually COMPLETELY forgot about the changeling spell when I first started this fic, which is why it wasn't mentioned at all prior to now in the story despite some striking similarities between what happened then and now. I was re-watching some of the early eps a few weeks ago and came across it, and just about headdesked my desk in half...  
> I'M ON EPISODE 225 OF THS DAMN SERIES, I CAN'T BE EXPECTED TO REMEMBER SOMETHING FROM EPISODE 20!!!  
> *lays down and cries at the cruelty of long running series*  
> That was such a random episode anyways, lol. They didn't even resolve it at the end, so I had to come up with an explanation of how everyone got back to normal myself X'D
> 
> Also, I just noticed that AO3 apparently doesn't copy over any formatting such as italics that I've done in my story...>:/ So that's awesome.
> 
> Anyhoo, remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! Hearing from you all really helps me keep up the inspiration to write!


	15. Conflict Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this only got the one edit, rather than my usual two, so I do apologize if this didn't come out quite as smooth as my usual. Normally I do one edit the night before, and the next the morning of release, but I wound up having company last night, so here we are, lol. Also, I do apologize to my AO3 readers, I know this is late >__> This is what happens when I rush to publish a story right before work, lol. It winds up on FF on time, but then I totally forget to do it here too...on the plus side, you get two chapters at once? X'D
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy! Please drop a review if you do, they really keep me writing!

“What do you mean that's not Lucy?” Yukino asked, tugging fruitlessly against Sting's grip on her arm.

“Neither of them smell right,” Rogue said, regarding the humans of the Fairy Tail trio darkly from behind the fringe of his hair.

“Who are you really? Did you have something to do with the attack on Yuki?” Sting growled as he gently pushed the girl in question behind him and his partner.

“Quit being an idiot, Sting,” Natsu snapped back, gray eyes narrowing as he stepped up beside Lucy, the set of his shoulders belaying his casual words “Of course we didn't.”

As the dragon slayers stared one another down, the blonde was filled with an overwhelming certainty that things were about to go completely off the rails “Hey, let's all just calm do-”

“Don't call me an idiot, idiot!” the white dragon slayer countered angrily, interrupting Lucy's attempts to defuse the situation “You're the one that was stupid enough to come back here after attacking one of our own!”

Without warning, Sting and Rogue lunged forward, the white dragon slayer making a headlong rush for Natsu, while his partner headed directly for Lucy.

“Happy!” Lucy shouted as she dodged Rogue, who was taken off guard by her unusual burst of speed, and headed directly for Sting instead.

Seeming to understand what she wanted, the blue exceed dove forward to snatch Natsu up into the air in the hopes of avoiding the blonde dragon slayer.

Sting was already too close, though, and Lucy watched as he raised a fist to strike, the fierce expression on his face telling her that he had no intent of holding back in the slightest.

Unfortunately for him, when it came to protecting Natsu, neither did she.

Moving at a dead sprint, Lucy pushed off the ground and delivered an unforgiving flying kick directly to Sting's unprotected side a second before he would have made contact with Natsu. Happy carried the rose haired mage as high into the air as the ceiling would allow to keep him out of immediate reach of either attacker. Luckily, none of the other Sabertooth mages seemed willing to interfere with their master's fight for the time being. In fact, Yuki, for all she wanted to jump into the fray, focused instead on getting the spectators evacuated before someone got hurt.

While Sting struggled to pick himself up from where he had crashed into the nearest wall, and Rogue stared at her, shock written clear on his features, Lucy took the opportunity to shout up at her friend “Natsu, summon Capricorn and have him hold off Rogue!” she instructed, then to be sure there wasn't a mix-up, added “He's the goat!”

“Right,” Natsu agreed reluctantly, annoyed by his inability to go head to head with either of the dragon slayers at the moment. If he was himself again, he could take them both on single-handed...

The man pushed the pointless thoughts to the side for now. It didn't matter what he could do normally, what mattered was what he could do to help now. Grabbing out Lucy's keys, Natsu hesitated.

“Shit, Lucy, which one is it?!” he shouted.

“The one with the horns on the end!” Lucy called back as she dodged a strike from Rogue before moving back in with a kick that passed ineffectively through the shadow dragon slayer when he dissipated into darkness.

“Horns, horns, horns...” Natsu mumbled to himself as he flipped through the golden keys and came up with one that had horns “Aha!”

“No, that's Aries!” Happy said from over his shoulder, making his partner swear and start looking again.

He finally came up with the right one, and held it aloft as he shouted “Gate of the goat, open! Capricorn!”

Power poured down his arm and into the golden key, and he felt the answer almost immediately. The ringing of the bell echoed out across the room, making Yuki stare up at him, wide eyed with shock as she managed to get the last of her guild mates to leave the room.

Capricorn appeared on the ground below where he hovered with Happy, and glanced up at him, eyes unreadable from behind his dark sunglasses “Afternoon, Mr. Dragneel. Loke has apprised me of the situation. How may I be of assistance?” he asked with a half-bow.

“Keep Rogue off of Lucy,” Natsu instructed, pointing to where his partner was struggling against the dragon slayer's shadow walking ability, even as Sting raced at her from the side.

“Gladly,” Capricorn said, and was at Lucy's side in a flash. She cast him a relieved, welcoming smile as she was able to turn her attention to Sting just in time to block his punch, while the goat drove off Rogue with a series of lightning quick punches.

Capricorn quickly succeeded in pushing Rogue away some distance and keeping him occupied so Lucy was able to focus on Sting. Lucy had never been so happy that she had been taking lessons from Yuki as she succeeded in blocking the white dragon slayer's first few attacks, and even landed a few of her own. Before long, though, the man stepped up his movements, and the blonde quickly found herself overwhelmed by his greater experience.

“Lucy!” Natsu shouted as he watched Sting string together a combo of unforgiving punches that sent Lucy flying, her battered form tumbling across the room until she crashed through the front door. Sting chased her out, and the rose haired slayer struggled against the exceed's grip before shouting “Follow her, Happy!”

“Aye!” Happy said and soared out through the wrecked doors and carried them high up into the air to keep his friend out of harm's way.

They both watched as Sting made a dive for Lucy, white light glowing around his fist. Luckily the girl was not as injured as Natsu had worried she might be, as she rolled deftly out of the way. The attack left a crater in the guild's front patio, but the Sabertooth master seemed unconcerned as he turned his attention to Lucy once more.

The two blondes stared each other down from across the courtyard, but Natsu could immediately tell by Sting's shift in stance that he was about to try and finish things.

“Drop me by Lucy, Happy!” he told the exceed.

“What? No! You'll get hurt, Natsu!” Happy objected as he fought to maintain his hold on his partner.

“I'm not gonna fight, I just need to help her,” the dragon slayer insisted “Now put me down, dammit! You want her to get killed?!”

“F-fine!” Happy stammered and flew past Lucy, then dropped his friend as Sting started to power up. He may not be able to fight the way he was right now, and he didn't think he could even summon a second spirit like Lucy could normally. Even now he could feel the drain on his power through his link to Capricorn, who still fought within the guild. The goat seemed to be holding his own for the moment, though, so Natsu focused his attention on his blonde partner.

* * *

Focused as she was on Sting, Lucy didn't even notice the argument taking place over her head. The white dragon slayer hit like a freight train, and she suddenly had a lot more sympathy for Natsu when he'd had to fight Sting and Rogue simultaneously.

When it came right down to it, though, she really didn't want to hurt the other slayer. After all, while he was from a rival guild, she did consider him a friend. She knew her reluctance to fight him was handicapping her, but she couldn't bring herself to do him real harm. Not when he was just trying to protect his friends from what he perceived to be an impostor.

As they stared one another down, though, it occurred to Lucy that Sting's stance had shifted subtly. He wasn't getting ready to move again, though, she realized. He was powering up.

The blonde's breath caught, and she had a moment of panic. What did she do? Dodge? But what about the buildings behind her? She'd seen the power of Sting's attack before and she'd no doubt that it could cut easily through a city block. The livid expression on the white dragon slayer's face told her that he wasn't thinking of the consequences of this fight, though, much like another man she knew all too well. She also knew that he would regret it immensely after the fact, though.

So what did she do? Stand here and take it for the sake of the innocent civilians behind her? Try to counter? Her last attempt at using the dragon roar, though, left her doubting that she'd be able to do so successfully against someone who knew what they were actually doing...

“Don't run, you can handle this, Lucy,” Natsu said from behind her, standing so close that she could feel the heat of his breath against the curve of her ear.

His sudden appearance at her back startled her, but she did as she was told and remained in place. Natsu leaned in closer while Sting powered up his attack “You can counter him easy with a fire dragon's roar,” he told her, words quick and precise in her ear, and she nodded, heart pounding a mile a minute as white light gathered around the other dragon slayer. Blood rushed to her cheeks as she felt Natsu slip an arm around her waist from behind, his hand coming to rest on the flat of her stomach.

“Now gather your magic, and take a deep breath, all the way down to your stomach,” he told her “Use my hand as a guide, you should move it as you inhale,” Lucy followed his instructions, focusing on Natsu's hand as she took a deep breath, feeling the way it pressed gently against her abdomen as it expanded. She felt the magic stir to life under his palm where it waited, ready and willing to burst forth at the slightest hint of action.

“Let the magic mix with the air in your lungs as you lean back,” the dragon slayer murmured, charcoal eyes watching Sting, closely, judging his every move as the other man went through similar motions across from them.

Lucy felt Natsu's other hand go to her shoulder, and gently guide her backwards, their bodies curving in unison, her shoulders sliding across his exposed chest. She felt the magic reach capacity in her lungs, and for a moment she felt as though she were trying to hold back an avalanche.

“Now, let it all out, don't hold anything back!” her friend commanded as he stepped away, handing her full control as Sting let go.

“White Dragon's Roar!”

“Fire Dragon's Roar!”

The power that erupted from Lucy rocked her back on her heels, but she dug her toes in and held her ground as raging inferno met pin-point laser. The air between them seemed to scream as it burned, filling her nose with sharp, metallic scent of ozone.

As the magic roared through Lucy, the blonde felt invincible. It was as though she were a force of nature, all consuming and destructive, even as she protected the town and her partners at her back. The difference in strength between this attack and her previous attempt in her apartment was like night and day. Frankly, she was glad she'd had no idea what she was doing that night, or she'd have wound up with a lot more than a hole in her roof.

Lucy could feel the pressure of Sting's attack trying to break through her own, but her resolve kept her in place, and her fire held it at bay. Eventually, as the seconds passed, she could feel the weight lessening in tandem with her own power.

When the magic faded, and the dust settled, both of them were left panting with effort, and Lucy could feel her hands shaking. She balled them into fists to hide the fact, though, and stared the white dragon slayer down. She refused to be the first to attack.

“That was amazing, Lucy!” Happy cheered at her back.

“Told you you could take him!” Natsu said, grinning widely, only to wince and stumble unsteadily as he felt his link to Capricorn suddenly shatter.

“Natsu, are you okay?” Happy asked worriedly, making Lucy glance back over her shoulder in concern.

“Capricorn's gone,” the dragon slayer admitted grimly, one hand going to his chest, taken off guard by the sudden shift in magic that the gate closure caused “Hey, what'd you do to Capricorn, you asshole?!” Natsu shouted at Rogue as he appeared in the door and sized up the situation before taking his place at Sting's side.

The shadow dragon slayer didn't answer, simply shared a look with his partner as they both readied themselves to launch into another attack.

Lucy stepped between them and Natsu, feeling grim as she settled into a fighting stance. When they leaped forward, she mirrored them.

Unexpectedly, Yuki dashed between the three of them and threw her arms out, her back to Lucy as she shouted “Stop!”

Her guildmates managed to pull their attacks at the last second, and Lucy slid to a stop, bumping lightly into her pale haired friend's back.

“Y-Yuki!” she cried “What are you doing? You almost got yourself killed!”

The other celestial spirit mage glanced back over her shoulder and smiled at Lucy “I know you wouldn't hurt me, Lucy.”

“Yuki! Get out of the way, that's not Lucy,” Sting snapped “She could never fight like that, and she sure as hell isn't a dragon slayer!”

“Sting, Natsu was right, you're being an idiot,” the normally soft spoken girl said flatly, making the man blink in surprise. Somewhere behind her, Natsu burst out laughing.

“This isn't at all like you, Yuki,” Rogue said quietly, though he did straighten from his aborted fighting stance “What proof do you have?”

“Just because there's something going on here that we don't understand, doesn't mean that these are impostors,” Yuki responded, taking a step to the side so she could look between Lucy and her guildmates. Natsu approached and stood at his partner's side, still grinning as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“I've been training Lucy myself, Sting, you know that. She was fighting just the way I taught her, and she stood her ground and took your attack!”

“So what,” Sting scoffed as he straightened, clearly still skeptical.

“So, she could have just dodged and let you demolish half a city block!” the celestial spirit mage exclaimed, finally angry with her friend as she pointed to the residential housing that he would have destroyed had Lucy moved.

The import of Yuki's words hit Sting and he blanched as he shared a look with Rogue. The shadow dragon slayer gave him a look that said he was also starting to agree with Natsu on the whole 'idiot' subject.

“Shit...” Sting muttered, suddenly looking embarrassed as he realized what he had nearly done in his haste to fight off the 'intruders'.

“So, are you ready to listen now?” Lucy asked, arching an eyebrow at the man, relief washing over her even as she tried to play it cool.

“I guess I owe you that much for keeping me from doing something I would have regretted,” Sting admitted with an abashed smile.

* * *

Rather than standing around in the courtyard while she told their story for the umpteenth time, Lucy helped Sting and Rogue right the massive doors she had smashed through while she explained. Natsu, Yuki, and Happy picked up scraps here and there and left them in a pile by the entrance to be dealt with later. When that was done, they retired to the seating area in the lobby to listen to the rest of the tale.

Their story, she was beginning to realize, seemed to change a little bit every time she was forced to retell it. This time, she added on the facts about the attack in her apartment, as well as Makarov's concerns as to why they may have happened.

“So we came here to check on you, Yuki,” Lucy finished as she gave her thoughtful friend a rueful smile “Maybe next time I'll just send a note instead,” she added, joking to lighten the mood.

Sting winced as Lucy glanced briefly at him, and a small smile tugged subtly at the corner of Rogue's lips.

“How many times are you gonna make me apologize, fairy girl?” the white dragon slayer complained, flopping back in his seat and frowning petulantly as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“You haven't apologized at all, stupid!” Natsu objected, winging one of the sofa pillows at the other dragon slayer, smacking him right in the face “So get your head out your ass and do it already,” he snapped, the other dragon slayer's nickname for Lucy rubbing him the wrong way on top of everything else. Who said he was allowed to give his partner a nickname?

“We are sorry. Such an attack was completely unjustified,” Yuki said quietly, bowing to Natsu and Lucy from where she sat across from them.

“You're not the one that needs to apologize! You didn't even do anything!” the pink haired dragon slayer said, glaring at Sting even as he reassured Yuki.

Lucy glanced over at her partner, unable to contain the small smile that crossed her features at the strange dichotomy of her friend's words. Well, at least he was blaming the right person, even if she'd rather just put it all behind them.

“Ugh, fine,” Sting relented with a heavy sigh “I'm sorry I attacked you, even if you do both smell super suspicious. I could have asked a few questions first, I guess,” he admitted reluctantly.

“And?” Rogue drawled quietly, making the white dragon slayer snap around to glare at him. The dark haired man simply arched his one visible eyebrow at his friend, though, and did not say more.

“And thank you for not letting me blow up half the city.”

Natsu sniffed and sat back in the sofa, slightly mollified by Sting's apology. In his opinion it should involve a lot more groveling, but when he glanced over at Lucy and saw the ready forgiveness in her smile, he decided not to object further.

“If Lucy forgives you, I guess I can too,” he grumbled reluctantly.

“It's alright,” the blonde said with a smile as she glanced over at her partner before turning her attention back to the Sabertooth wizards “So what happened here? Were you attacked, Yuki?” Lucy asked worriedly, recalling Sting's words earlier.

Even as her attention was on the other girl, though, Natsu felt Lucy covertly brush her hand along his forearm as she went to fold her hands in her lap. It was subtle, but the dragon slayer recognized it for what it was; a small gesture of gratitude, and solidarity. This fact was cemented when she glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, and allowed the corner of her lips to pull up in little smile.

His irritation with Sting dissipating in the face of Lucy's gesture, Natsu shifted his leg so his knee gently bumped hers. He didn't return the smile, but only because he was afraid he'd start grinning like an idiot in front of the Sabertooth wizards, and it looked like Yuki had something important to say. He did, however, leave his leg where it was, resting lightly against her thigh. To his delight, Lucy didn't pull away.

“It happened early this morning,” Yuki began, not noticing the Fairy Tail mages' inconspicuous exchange. Happy did, however, from where he sat perched on the back of the sofa between his two partners. The little exceed smiled behind a paw, but didn't comment.

“I came in early to sort through some of the back-logged job requests,” the celestial spirit mage explained “I was all alone in the guild, but that's not unusual in the morning. Just as I had settled in, though, these men came in and attacked me out of nowhere!”

“What did they look like?” Natsu asked with a frown, though both he and Lucy had a feeling that they already knew.

“It was a bunch of guys dressed all in dark blue. Masks and everything, like some freaky ninjas,” Sting interjected, frowning fiercely at the memory as he sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest.

Yukino glanced at her guild master and nodded “Precisely. Whoever they were, they were professionals. They were organized and took me completely off guard,” the celestial spirit mage admitted unhappily “If Sting hadn't happened to show up when he did...”

Lucy glanced at the white dragon slayer then, eyebrows raised as their eyes met. Sting had never really struck her as the type to show up to 'work' first thing in the morning, Master or no. What had he been doing at the guild at an hour that Yukino, a quintessential morning person, called it early?

To her surprise, the man actually flushed and broke eye contact first. So that was how it was, was it?

Reigning in a smirk, Lucy's attention strayed to Rogue, who, to her surprise, was regarding her with some interest. When he noticed her looking, he gave the barest of shrugs, which left her wondering if he knew about his partner's interest in Yukino.

“Definitely sounds like the same guys that tried to get Lucy,” Natsu said, the entire exchange going completely over his head as he glanced at his partner, who nodded her agreement.

“I came to warn you, but apparently I was a little late,” Lucy said, abashed by how her reluctance to admit she might be someone's target yet again had put her friend's life in danger.

“It's okay,” Yuki said with a warm smile at the blonde “You came as soon as you knew.”

Lucy sighed and smiled weakly before saying “Well, if nothing else, at least this narrows down the reason behind the attacks. If they were just after me for me, then they wouldn't have gone after you. But since they did...”

“If they're really using poisoned blades...It means they must be after the Zodiac Keys,” Yuki finished grimly.

The group sat in silence for a long minute, considering the implications of this.

Natsu was the first to break the quiet, growling in annoyance and ruffling his pink hair with his hands, clearly frustrated “I hate this!” he complained, before rounding on Sting and saying “Why couldn't you have caught one of those bastards so we could question them?” he demanded.

The white dragon slayer was taken aback for a moment before countering “Me?! What about you? I don't see you out setting ninja traps!”

“I wasn't even there!” Natsu snapped and added “At least Lucy knocked one out!”

“Will you two cool it?” Lucy said with a put upon sigh “There's no reason to point fingers here. They're ninjas, you don't get to be a ninja without having a good exit strategy,” she pointed out “For now, we'll just have to be on our guard, okay?”

The blonde got to her feet, deciding it was time to go before Sting and Natsu could come up with another reason to start a fist fight. She'd certainly had her fill of infighting for the day.

Yuki, picking up on Lucy's intent, also stood and embraced the blonde, saying “Thank you for thinking of me, Lucy. I'll let you know if we find anything out.”

“Thanks, Yuki,” the girl said with a smile as she returned the gesture, then parted “Be safe.” Rounding on the two Sabertooth dragon slayers, she put her hands on her hips and said “You two keep an eye on her, got it?”

Sting shifted uncomfortably when Lucy's gaze lingered on him in particular “Of course. Sabertooth looks after it's own. What kind of Master would I be if I couldn't even protect one person,” he grumbled.

“We will keep her safe,” Rogue said, giving Lucy a half-bow, the slightest of smiles tugging at the corner of his lips again as he regarded the girl with thoughtful, crimson eyes.

“And catch one of those stupid ninjas if they show back up,” Natsu instructed, huffing as he got to his feet, Happy clinging to his shoulder.

“Catch your own damn ninjas!” Sting snapped haughtily.

“Maybe I will!” Natsu replied, baring his teeth.

“Come on, Natsu, lets go home,” Lucy said firmly, grabbing her partner by the hand and leading him away. She waved over her shoulder at Yukino “Later, Yuki! We'll start training again when we've got all this sorted out, okay?”

The white haired girl smiled and raised a hand in return “I look forward to it.”

The trio watched the Fairy Tail mages disappear out the door, each one of them thinking something considerably different than the other two.

“Ugh, finally! That guy drives me up the wall! I don't know how fairy girl puts up with him!” Sting exclaimed, flopping back bonelessly into the seat he'd leaped out of at Natsu's challenge.

“I quite like him,” Yukino said with a thoughtful smile for the fire dragon slayer. She would always remember what he had done for her during the Grand Magic Games. Such kindness was not easily forgotten.

“I wonder how long they've been dating,” Rogue mused quietly to himself, though both of his guildmates turned to stare at him, gaping in shock.

“W-what?! Natsu and Lucy?!” Yukino stammered. When had this happened? Why wouldn't Lucy have told her? Sure, she'd always suspected her friend was sweet on the fire dragon slayer but...

“No way!” Sting objected, disbelieving.

Rogue blinked at the pair, clearly taken aback by their strong reaction “You didn't notice?” he asked “I thought their body language was quite plain...her hand on his arm, his leg, their general closeness...” continued silence met his words “Just me?”

* * *

Dinner at Natsu and Happy's that night was a quiet affair. Well, quiet for the three of them, anyways. No one broke in and made an assassination attempt, or tried to set the house on fire, so Lucy was willing to file it under 'quiet'.

She cooked again and Natsu helped. Not that he was much for cooking food that didn't require an absurd amount of spice, but he did fetch in firewood, and helped Lucy chop ingredients. He was actually surprisingly good at mincing.

While the dragon slayer made a trip outside for firewood, Lucy found her attention drifting inexorably towards Natsu's hammock.

Ever since they'd returned from the guild (Lucy had felt that she should report their findings to the Master before actually going home), she had been plagued with memories of the night previous. Natsu's nightmares worried her. What if he set back his healing again?

“If you're gonna do it, you should probably do it now,” Happy remarked innocently from where he sat on the table, eating a fish.

“What?” Lucy asked, spinning guiltily to look at him. He was looking at her with that canny look that seemed to be coming out more and more on his little blue face lately...

“The hammock. You've been staring at it every chance you get for like...an hour. You wanna sabotage it, right?” the exceed asked slyly.

“Why would I want to do that?” Lucy asked, blushing in embarrassment when Happy saw through her so easily.

The cat just rolled his eyes “Cuz if his hammock breaks, then Natsu will have to sleep with you, and then you don't have to worry about him having nightmares and hurting himself again. You also won't have to actually ask him to sleep with you, though.”

The blonde stared at Happy, an odd mix of horror and fascination on her face as she regarded him. Had he always been this observant and just pretended he was an airhead? Did he secretly have telepathy magic like Warren that he'd never told anyone about?

“Honestly, he'd sleep on the couch if you just asked him,” Happy admitted with a shrug before adding “Whatever you do, better do it quick. He's finished chopping the wood,” as one ear twitched.

Lucy's own noted the sudden lack of noise from outside. The rhythmic thunk and crack had stopped, and now that she was paying attention, she could hear Natsu gathering up his burden and heading back towards the house.

She waffled for a moment longer before swearing and grabbing the knife from the cutting board.

Happy smiled.

* * *

Later that evening, Lucy was in the bathroom getting ready for bed when a snap, followed by vehement swearing met her ears. She grinned at herself in the mirror as she came up from washing her face in the sink. As she toweled off, though, she wondered what the hell was wrong with her that she would go to such absurd lengths just to make her friend get into bed with her.

Happy was right, she probably could have just asked Natsu to sleep with her on the couch and he would have done so without second thought. He crawled into bed with her at her place without so much as a by-your-leave all the time, after all.

If she asked him to sleep with her when there was another perfectly serviceable bed in the room, though, it meant...what did it mean? She could say it was about her not wanting him to have nightmares and hurt himself again all she wanted, but if that was the case, she could always just come up with some excuse for them to switch beds. Falling off the couch wouldn't hurt him, he wasn't that injured anymore.

But she didn't want to switch beds. She wanted to share one with Natsu. She wanted to comfort him with her presence in the night, and wanted to be comforted by his in turn. The feel of his body pressed flush against hers, and the way their limbs tangled with one another beneath the sheets...she missed it.

Realizing her face was in danger of spontaneously combusting again at the thought, Lucy splashed her face with icy water from the tap and then dried it again before hurrying out of the bathroom.

“What was that noise? You alright?” she asked, feigning surprise when she was met with the sight of Natsu holding his hammock, it's severed ropes dangling pathetically in his hand.

“My hammock broke!” he said, holding out the evidence “All these years and it finally broke.”

“Well, I guess it was bound to happen eventually,” Lucy said nonchalantly before a thought occurred to her “You didn't hurt yourself, did you?”

“Huh?” Natsu asked, looking up at her from his examination of the frayed ropes “Oh, no, I'd barely put any weight on it. Good thing I didn't jump in,” he mused.

“Y-yeah,” Lucy said, wincing when she belatedly realized that she'd very nearly caused the accident she'd been telling herself she was trying to help him avoid. She cleared her throat innocently and said “Well, I guess you can share the couch with me, if you want.”

“Oh, I can sleep on the floor,” Natsu said, nearly dropping his hammock at the suggestion. After a second thought, he did just that, then bent over and scooped up his blanket and pillow.

Lucy blinked, having not considered that he might actually suggest this “You can't do that!”

“Why?” he asked, confused and surprised by her objection.

“Well, it'll be cold,” she said, blushing awkwardly “Cold's not good for injuries, you know.”

“I guess,” Natsu admitted reluctantly, hardly daring to let himself hope that maybe Lucy's reasons for suggesting the new sleeping arrangement were less innocent than they appeared to be at surface level.

After all, someone had cut the ropes on his hammock. They were barely frayed at the ends, meaning they had been cut most of the way through so it would still hang normally, until weight was put on it.

Question was, was it Happy trying to help him out? Or had Lucy done it of her own volition? Maybe some combination of the two?

“You don't mind?” he asked, watching her carefully. It was hard, he realized, to apply all the signs about girls that Lucy had given him to Lucy herself. They already spent so much time together under normal circumstances, let alone these unusual ones, that it was hard to tell if she was trying to instigate spending time together with him because she liked him, or because they were best friends. Friends liked to spend time together too, after all.

Still, the act of asking him to sleep in the same bed (well, couch) as her could be read as wanting to spend more time together, right? That was like...a step up even!

Maybe?

Or maybe she was just being nice because she was Lucy. For all she could be a grump sometimes, his friend was kind at heart. She'd give anything for a friend in need.

“No, it's fine,” Lucy said, turning quickly to take her place on the couch in an attempt to hide the blush coloring her cheeks. She failed, though, and Natsu decided to take it as a good sign.

“Well, alright,” the dragon slayer said with a casual shrug, ignoring the way his heart was pounding in his chest. It was a wonder Lucy couldn't hear it...unless she could hear it. Shit.

Before he could dwell on the potentially crippling thought, Natsu dove in head first, seeing as the habit had served him well in the past. Well, maybe fifty-fifty. He'd taken plenty of knocks because of it, too.

Dropping his blanket, the rose haired mage plopped his pillow down next to Lucy's and slid under the blankets. Things were rather cramped, and the lack of space wasn't helped by the fact that they were laying face to face. The blonde's shoulders were pressed to the back of the couch, and Natsu could feel open air just behind him.

Frowning as she squirmed to get comfortable, Lucy huffed and said “There's not enough room! Turn over and quit hogging all the space with your knees!”

“I'm not hogging, you are!” Natsu objected even as his knees bumped hers “Besides, you're always little spoon, you can't just decide you're gonna be big spoon all of a sudden!” He pointed out grumpily, unwilling to admit to the fact that he'd actually rather liked having her curled protectively around him the night before. She'd probably laugh.

A second later, though, his words sank in, and he realized that he'd basically just admitted to spooning her on the regular when they slept together at her place. Eyes widening, Natsu turned slightly to meet Lucy's eyes, half expecting her to smack him for his transgressions.

To his surprise, the girl before him just rolled her eyes, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she huffed in annoyance and said “Fine, but we're switching sides first. I don't want my face squished into the couch pillows.”

Natsu nodded, almost not believing his ears. Had she not heard him? Surely he wasn't that lucky. Had she...had she known about his guilty little habit? Was she awake all those times when he'd rolled over and pulled her to him? Maybe if he was lucky she just thought he did it in his sleep rather than making it a conscious decision.

The dragon slayer was startled from his thoughts when Lucy's elbow clipped him in the chin as she rolled over and clambered across him.

“Ow!” he yelped, taken off guard by the sudden attack. He glared at the girl, who winced apologetically.

“Sorry! Tight squeeze,” she said as Natsu rolled his eyes and squeezed over to take her spot so she could settle down into his.

With a sigh of relief, Lucy made herself comfortable, facing outwards towards the room. From up in his bed, she could see Happy watching her with a smug little smile on his face. The girl stuck her tongue out at the cat, and the exceed just grinned.

Behind her, the blonde could feel Natsu shifting so his body lined up with hers, affording them both more room, enough so that his body almost, but not quite, touched hers. Lucy couldn't help but feel rather disappointed by this turn of events.

“You forgot the light,” he murmured in her ear.

“Well so did you!” she objected, turning slightly to glare at him, only to see him grinning teasingly at her. She pouted and said “Well I'm not getting it.”

“Lazy,” he grumbled without venom before saying “Happy?”

“What?” the cat replied, voice muffled from among his blankets and pillows.

“Light please.”

“No fair, I was in bed first!” the exceed complained.

“Happy, you are literally right next to it.”

“...It's the principle of the thing,” Happy grumbled, but acquiesced, flipping the switch with his tail.

Though she hardly needed them, Lucy pulled the blankets close around her as the darkness closed in around them. Moonlight poured in through the front windows, casting shadows through the leaves of the tree that grew up through Natsu's house.

The woman felt her eyes growing heaving as she watched the shadows shift and dance as the branches outside were stirred by an evening breeze. The soft chirping of crickets, and the quiet sound of Natsu breathing behind her lulled her closer to sleep. When her friend slipped his arm around her middle and pulled her in close, Lucy didn't object, just smiled sleepily and murmured “Cold?” as she felt him burrow his face in her hair.

Natsu went still when she unexpectedly spoke. He would have sworn she was already asleep, dammit. He'd gotten impatient and now he'd gone and gotten caught.

“Er, yeah,” he lied.

“You thought I was asleep, didn't you?” she snickered quietly. When he didn't answer, Lucy grinned to herself and said “You're such a serial spooner, Natsu.”

At her back, Lucy felt her friend flinch and start to pull away. Realizing that she'd probably hurt him, or at least embarrassed him thoroughly by calling him out on his habit, the blond grabbed his hand and kept him from withdrawing.

“I...I never said I minded,” she admitted grudgingly and tugged lightly on his hand, encouraging the dragon slayer to return to his previous position once more.

Hardly daring to believe his ears, Natsu hesitated, and then rolled in close to her once more. Looping his arm loosely over her waist, he asked “Is this okay?”

“Yeah,” Lucy said, nestling into her pillow and pressing her back against his chest. She hid her smile in the folds of her blanket, relishing the feeling of him curled around her. Something about his presence at her back put her at ease in a way that she simply didn't feel without him around “It makes me feel...safe,” she confessed quietly into the dark of the room as sleep pulled at her mind once more.

“Safe,” Natsu repeated, as though sampling it. She felt safe when he held her? That was good, right? That had to be good. Smiling to himself as he leaned forward to rest his forehead against her shoulder, Natsu said “Good.”

* * *

A familiar, though oddly worrying sound tugged Lucy from her sleep early the next morning. It was the soft clink and scrape of steel, accompanied by footsteps from some distance off.

Eyes still stubbornly closed, the blonde focused on her other senses. She pushed aside the quiet heart beat of the man curled around her, and zeroed in on the metallic sound. It was like...like the quiet scrape of armor as someone walked, Lucy's sleep fogged brain realized. Sniffing experimentally, the woman once again had to push past Natsu's presence, something she was reluctant to do, to try and catch wind of what might be coming.

After a moment, a scent she hadn't even realized that she knew reached her nose, and Lucy's eyes flew open wide with horror.

Natsu must have felt her go rigid in his arms, as he stirred and mumbled “Wassamatter?” against the nape of her neck, his lips tickling the pale skin there.

Not even that sensation, though, was enough to distract Lucy from their impending doom. Rolling out from under the blankets and onto the floor with a thump, the girl scrambled for the one Natsu had dropped the night before. She balled herself up in it while the dragon slayer watched her with sleepy-eyed confusion.

“The hell are you doing?” he asked, rubbing his face tiredly, even as she reached out a hand and snatched her pillow back.

“Shh! Pretend to be asleep!” Lucy hissed at him, before dropping her head on her pillow and did just that.

“Huh?”

Just then, the door slammed open, and, framed by the early morning light, Erza announced “Rise and shine! It's time to train!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! Remember to leave a review if you did, they really help keep me inspired to write!


	16. I See Fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION! There will be NO UPDATE this Saturday, April 4th, 2015! 
> 
> I've got a friend coming to stay with me for that weekend, so I won't have the time to edit and what not, what with working and getting ready. Sorry guys! Don't worry, we'll be back to our regular posting schedule Tuesday the 7th!  
> We got some dramaaaaa incoming this chapter!  
> Also, I'd like to apologize for not responding to reviews as much as I usually do these last couple of chapters. Things have been real busy with my husband getting ready to go on a long trip, so I haven't been on the computer as much. Regardless, though, I read each and every one, and they all make me so happy! ;_;  
> Hope you enjoy! If so, make sure you leave a review to let me know! They really help me keep inspired to write ^_^

Natsu stared blankly at Erza for a long moment, his sleep-lagged brain taking awhile to catch up with just what was going on.

"The hell are you doing in my house?" he asked eventually as he flopped back onto the sofa and dragged the blanket over his head. Up in his little bed, Happy did much the same without all the bothersome talking.

"Come back later. Too early."

"I just told you, Natsu, weren't you listening?" The red head asked as she entered without invitation and snatched the blanket off of the dragon slayer. The man underneath whined and curled up into a ball in protest.

"What time is it?" Lucy asked, sitting up and feigning a yawn. With the adrenaline that had kick-started her system at Erza's approach, she no longer felt remotely tired.

"Six o'clock," Erza said with a smile down at her blonde friend "The sun is up and daylight is wasting!"

"You're the devil," Natsu said flatly as he grabbed one of the sofa cushions and covered his head with it to block out the morning light.

"Don't be rude, Natsu," Erza chided him patiently. It was only then that her friends' sleeping arrangement seemed to register "Speaking of which, why are you allowing your guest to sleep on the floor, Natsu? You are a terrible host. Lucy is your guest _and_ a lady; she should get the couch."

The dragon slayer twitched aside the pillow just enough to allow him to catch Lucy's eye. The way he squinted at her told the blonde that she'd better come up with something quick, seeing as him being on the couch was her idea in the first place.

"O-oh! It was my idea, Erza, don't blame Natsu," Lucy said hurriedly as she kicked her way free of her blankets and attempted to tame her wild mane of golden hair with her fingers as she continued "He _insisted_ I take the couch, even though his hammock broke last night, but I wouldn't let him sleep on the floor, what with his injuries and all. Wendy said he was so close to being fully healed, I thought it'd be a shame to set back his progress by potentially letting him get a cold sleeping on the floor..."

Realizing that she was babbling, the celestial spirit mage shut her mouth and grinned nervously at the older woman, clasping her hands behind her back to keep from fidgeting under the weight of her gaze.

After a moment, Erza nodded, seeming to accept the explanation "Oh. How sensible of you, Lucy, very good idea."

The red head glanced down at Natsu, who was still refusing to come out from under his pillow, and said "Now, since we're waiting on Master and Levy to figure out that spell anyways, I'm here to help the two of you train."

Lucy experienced a deep sensation of dread at her friend's words. Thoughts of how reluctant she'd been to ask the red head to train her in the first place rose from the dark depths of an overactive imagination to haunt her.

"You don't have to do that, Erza, I'm sure you've got better things to be doing," Lucy said with brittle cheerfulness "We can handle it. After all, who better to train us on how to use our magic than...well, us?"

"Unless you've suddenly become an expert on celestial spirit magic, or dragon slayer magic, of course," Natsu needled, words partially muffled by the pillow on his head.

Lucy stared down at her rose haired friend, wondering if he had a death wish. Early morning celestial mage Natsu was _seriously_ grumpy.

"No, I haven't," the requip mage answered, arching one brow at the man, who still refused to bare his face to the morning "I am, however, an expert in combat training, which is something both of you need now that you've got a new set of strengths and weaknesses. The two of you can work on magic on your own time, but this morning we'll be doing without."

"Er..." Lucy began, but wasn't able to come up with a reasonable objection. With a sigh, and half a smile, the blonde said "Thanks, Erza. That'll be a big help."

"My pleasure," the red head said cheerfully "Now get up and get going, Natsu!" she commanded as she snatched his pillow from him and proceeded to beat the dragon slayer with it.

While Natsu yelled at the sudden onslaught, and Erza continued shouting at him, Lucy headed into the kitchen and started a pot of coffee. She had a feeling they were going to need it.

* * *

A little while later the three of them (Happy had absolutely refused to join them outside so early, and Erza hadn't insisted) were outside of Natsu's house in the chill, early morning air. Erza had requipped into a black track suit the moment they had stepped outside, and proceeded to have her two friends run laps around the clearing.

Lucy had never been one for running, but at least having the stamina Natsu's magic gave her made it a little less objectionable. Natsu himself kept pace with her easily, allowing them to jog side-by-side as he gradually woke up and returned to his normal self in the wake of a cup of coffee and the exercise.

Before leaving the house, Lucy had insisted on removing his bandages and checking on his injuries. To all their pleasure, they seemed completely healed, though the new scar tissue still had that fresh, pink look to it, making it obvious how recent it was.

Having her friend well and truly healed at last lifted a weight from Lucy's shoulders that she hadn't realized she'd been carrying. As such, she didn't complain even when Erza had them doing ridiculous contortions to 'stretch' after their run.

At least she was better at it than Natsu.

She'd always been pretty flexible, but Natsu seemed to be falling all over himself as he tried to mimic her movements as she stretched.

She grinned at him as he stared up at her from the heap he'd toppled into for the third time that morning, and teased "You sure you're alright, Natsu? Forget the difference between your knee and your elbow again?"

"I'm _fine,_ " the dragon slayer insisted as he got back up and assumed the downward-dog position Erza had them in. Truth was, he was perfectly capable doing everything the girls were (well, maybe not _quite_ as well. They were definitely more flexible than he was), but he kept getting distracted. Distracted by Lucy, to be specific.

Distracted by Lucy in _yoga pants._

Yoga pants, Natsu decided, were the gods' own gift to _the world;_ truly they were a blessing to butts everywhere. They clung to Lucy's curves in all the right places, and, combined with her fitted blue tank top and the frankly provocative poses Erza kept picking, the dragon slayer was slowly losing his mind in the best of ways. Funny how the girl could run around in significantly less clothing than she was wearing now on the regular, but give her a pair of tight, fitted pants and he wasn't able to keep his eyes off of her. Damn things simply _had_ to be charmed.

At this rate he was going to break his nose from falling on his face every time he glanced over at his friend. As much as he wanted to just admire the view, though, Erza was starting to give him a look that said he'd better be taking her routine seriously, _or else_.

Well, better she think he was goofing off than checking out Lucy's 'assets' on the sly.

Somehow, the dragon slayer made it through the rest of the session without anymore embarrassing accidents, and Erza called them both over to her.

"Alright you two, over here," she instructed, moving into the center of the grassy clearing that Natsu's house sat at the edge of. There were old burn spots here and there, hinting at previous training sessions the dragon slayer had undertaken. Even the most recent ones, though, were covered in fine, downy grass sprouting up through the ashes.

"So, what next?" Lucy asked, stretching her arms up over hear head, failing to notice the way Natsu's eyes roved over her tightly clad form as she looked at Erza expectantly.

"Next, you two are going to spar," the requip mage answered matter-of-factly.

Lucy dropped her arms abruptly and frowned as she asked "Are you sure that's a good idea, Erza? I mean, Natsu's fully healed, but..."

The dragon slayer in question scowled and crossed his arms over his chest, his best friend's words successfully distracting him from her outfit "You think I can't take you?"

The girl blinked at him, taken aback by his tone "Well...no?" she said in an apologetic voice, which did nothing to lessen the scowl on his face "I mean, there's no way _I_ could ever take you, even without you actively using magic. You're just...too strong. I know I'm not used to the extra strength and all yet, but you're not used to _not_ having it either," she pointed out. Tearing her gaze from her unhappy friend and glancing back at Erza once more, Lucy added "Frankly this idea sounds like an accident waiting to happen."

"How are you going to become accustomed to Natsu's strength if you don't try to use it?" Erza challenged her blonde friend, arching a brow at her "If you are afraid to hurt him, then be careful. That's also a part of learning to use that power."

When Lucy still seemed unsure, and glanced worriedly at him, the dragon slayer felt some of his annoyance with her fade. It was obvious that she wasn't feeling superior so much as she was genuinely worried she might unintentionally injure him.

"Hey," Natsu said, lightly punching Lucy in the shoulder to get her attention "I can handle it. You don't give your own strength enough credit," he said with a grin as he clenched his hands into fists and closed his eyes for a moment as he sought out the source of her magic. He could feel it stir, and then flow through him. This was no weak, retiring magic that would back down from a challenge. It may be the sort of power that was slow to anger, but that didn't make it weak.

"You're stronger than you give yourself credit for," Natsu said, opening charcoal eyes to regard her once more, oozing confidence "I can feel it."

Lucy stared at the rose haired man before her, then lowered her eyes and smiled, touched by his words.

"Alright, fine. Have it your way," she said with a snort, making Natsu grin, and Erza smile. How was she supposed to argue with that? He thought she was strong with her own magic...this fact touched her more deeply than she would admit, making a dent in a wall built of years worth of inferiority issues.

"Alright, both of you back off ten steps, and start on my mark," Erza said, stepping away herself "No using magical attacks, and try your best not to do serious damage to one another."

"Thanks, Erza," Lucy said, rolling her eyes as their friend's straightforward, unapologetic manner.

Across the way from her, Natsu just grinned and called "No hard feelings when I win, okay?"

"Yeah right!" Lucy said with a laugh as she dropped into a fighting stance, her friend mirroring her.

"And...fight!"

As Erza dropped her arm, Natsu dashed forward, taking the initiative to attack first, catching Lucy off guard with his speed. Reacting impulsively, the blonde lashed out with a round-house kick, only to be startled by the man dropping to the ground in a crouch a second before her hit landed. Grinning, Natsu snapped out his own leg and swept Lucy's from under her.

The girl yelped and toppled to the ground. She didn't have time to complain, though, as her friend was already on his feet and dropping an axe-kick aimed directly for her stomach. In response, Lucy rolled backwards over her shoulders, caught her footing, and lunged forward. She allowed Natsu's magic to pour through her body, lending her the extra strength to easily cover the distance between them in a blur. The blonde came at him with a punch, but the dragon slayer was already dancing nimbly to the side and lashing out with a powerful spinning side-kick.

The attack caught Lucy in the stomach, making her grunt and stumble backwards several paces. She shook the pain off with surprising ease and leaped to the attack once more, striking at Natsu with a flurry of punches that even she was having trouble keeping track of. To her immense frustration, though, the dragon slayer's grin never dropped from his face as he blocked strike after strike without so much as a wince.

How was he doing it? Was he really that good, even without the strength of his magic? It was rare for her to see him use any sort of real fighting techniques, and yet...Sting and Rogue both had fallen before him, not only thanks to his incredible power, but because of his superior technique and ability to read people's movements.

"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Lucy complained as she jumped into the air and came at him with a drop-kick that shattered the earth beneath her when he easily dodged it. The longer they fought, it seemed, the easier a time he was having of keeping up with her. It was astonishing how quickly he was adjusting to her magic and tweaking his fighting style to compensate.

"Of course," He said with a grin as he side-stepped her next punch, grabbed the offending arm, and twisted her over his shoulder, using his entire body to send her flying "Aren't you?" he called after her as she tumbled wildly through the air.

"No!" Lucy shouted as she twisted and landed in a crouch, momentum sending her sliding back on the balls of her feet, cutting deep trenches in the soft earth with her passing.

Taking a moment to gather herself while Natsu watched her smugly from a few yards away, Lucy reconciled with the fact that she had done her friend a disservice in underestimating his skill. Perhaps she had even been underestimating her own magic for all these years...

The blonde inhaled deeply and closed her eyes, reaching for the raging inferno of magic at her core, which bridled even now against the tight control she'd been exerting over it in fear of harming her friend. He wanted her to have fun? Well alright, she'd _show_ him fun.

Exhaling, Lucy released her hold on Natsu's magic and felt it flare to gleeful life as it coursed along her veins and echoed in her bones.

Sensing the change in his friend's demeanor, Natsu made a mad dash to close the distance between him and Lucy before she could carry out whatever plan she was working on. Allowing his sprint to transfer into a jump, the dragon slayer lashed out with a flying side-kick at his unsuspecting friend. He had a brief flash of guilt for attacking her while her guard was down, but they _were_ supposed to be training...

All Natsu's thinking went out the window when Lucy stood, grabbed his leg mid-kick, and twisted hard, all in one fluid movement, amber eyes narrowed in concentration. The dragon slayer was sent flying across the field with a yell of surprise.

Unlike him, though, Lucy did not give her victim a chance to land and recover. Instead, she chased after him, a blonde blur kicking up a cloud of dust with the speed of her passing. Before he could hit the ground, she leaped so she was flying parallel to him, then twisted and struck him in the side with one knee, making him change direction painfully.

Natsu hit the ground hard, but rolled and caught his feet just in time put up his guard before Lucy could hit him again.

Grimly, the dragon slayer realized it was becoming harder and harder to block her attacks. Not because he wasn't fast enough, but because they _hurt._ Already he knew his forearms would be bruised from catching her hits before they could land on his head or torso, and his shins were just as bad when he lifted his knee to guard against a particularly hard kick.

Finally, he was forced to break off of guarding and began to dodge her attacks instead, lest he wind up with fractures for his troubles. Pulling on Lucy's magic, Natsu could feel it thrumming through him like a song, growing in volume from a hum to an aria as it lent him it's strength.

Watching Lucy's eerie amber eyes close for a tell, the dragon slayer dodged, side-stepped, and jumped to avoid her until she was hitting only air while he countered with a series lightning quick punches and kicks. He could see her frustration grow as hit after hit landed on her, while she continued to miss.

As she struggled to block yet another kick from Natsu, Lucy felt herself sink deeper into the grip of his magic. It roared around her, leaving the woman deaf and blind to her surroundings as she drowned in fire. The power bloomed out from her core like a vast, deadly flower, as intoxicating and addictive as poppy. It enveloped her, and Lucy let it take control, let it save her from the pain and the frustration, burning away years of feeling inferior, years of feeling _weak..._

Spotting an opening, Natsu lunged forward and grabbed Lucy's arm again, aiming to throw her over his hip. When he laid hands on her bare skin, though, the dragon slayer snatched them back just as quickly. Her flesh was burning hot to the touch, leaving his palms red and throbbing. As he jumped to avoid another ground shattering kick, Natsu saw tell-tale flickers of flame beginning to spark to life around Lucy as she chased after him relentlessly.

"Oi, no cheating, Lucy!" He called, trying to jolt her out of her unusually grim mood by flashing her a grin and leaping agilely over her head.

She did not respond, though, only watched his movements with eyes whose pupils had narrowed to mere slits. There was something different about the way she moved now. Something worrying. With every moment that passed, it was as though his friend became a little less Lucy, and a little more...something else.

Had his teasing earlier gone too far? Had he upset her somehow and now she was acting on her frustration? Whatever her reasoning, Lucy didn't seem keen on cluing him in, she simply rushed after him and landed a heavy punch to his mid-section before he managed to gain his feet.

Grunting in pain, Natsu could hear Erza yelling a warning at Lucy for the fire that was beginning to envelope her, giving her hair the aspect of molten gold as the heat radiating from her set it dancing hypnotically around her heart shaped face.

Before he could get his arms up to protect himself, Lucy was nose to nose with him, amber eyes burning into his as she stared him down for the brief second of silence that hung between them, then slammed one flaming fist directly into his solar plexus.

Multicolored lights flashed before Natsu's eyes as pain erupted in his chest, and the air was driven from his lungs. He was left gasping and feeling like he'd been hit by a train as he crashed into a heap in the grass some feet away.

_Fuck_ that hurt! The dragon slayer rolled onto his back, fingers ripping at the grass beneath him as he struggled to breathe. While light and dark warred in his eyes, making it difficult to see, Natsu could just make out something descending on him from above, like an avenging angel cloaked in flame.

Funny how he always seemed to hallucinate Lucy as an angel when he was out of his mind with pain. He wondered, in a distant way, just what that said about him.

Distantly, he could hear Erza shouting and rushing to intercept his fury blinded friend, but he knew with the certainty of the condemned that she was too late. As Lucy's face swam into focus, Natsu smiled. There were worse things to see before dying.

* * *

From within the depths of an intoxicating inferno, Lucy screamed.

Wrenching herself from the grip of Natsu's magic with a violence that felt as though she was tearing herself in two, Lucy regained control of her body just in time to see her friend smile at her, accepting that his fate was in her hands.

Twisting midair, Lucy aborted her collision course with the dragon slayer and crashed into the ground in an explosion of flame and earth, body tumbling wildly across the field before finally sliding to a stop. Breathing erratic, the woman's mind was full of chaos and panic. What had she been doing? What had she _done_?

Rolling unsteadily to her knees and looking around desperately, Lucy cried out "N-Natsu?"

"He's alright," Erza said, voice grim as she helped the dragon slayer into a seated position.

Still on hands and knees, Lucy met her best friend's eyes for the briefest moment before dropping her head in shame and horror at what she had almost done. Tears streamed down her face and her back heaved as she fought to keep down her breakfast.

"Lucy, are you alright?"

Natsu's voice was full of worry, and it echoed in her ears, breaking down what remained of her control. Sobbing brokenly, Lucy curled into a ball and pressed her forehead into the ground, hands clutching her head as though she were trying to keep it from flying apart.

What was wrong with her? Why had she let the magic take over like that? It had devoured her whole and then turned on it's former master with a sort of impersonal ruthlessness that terrified and awed her. Mostly, though, she felt disgust. Disgust that she would let a petty sense of competition with her friend allow her to fall so far. She was weak, allowing the power to overwhelm her so easily.

She would have killed him.

The thought had Lucy dry-heaving between sobs again, and she screamed. It was too big, it was too much to wrap her mind around.

There had been many times in the past that Lucy had thought she had lost her dearest friend, and her heart had broken each and every time at the mere possibility. Natsu had always rallied, though, allowing her to pick up the pieces and use his continued presence at her side to act as glue when she put it back together again.

Now, though, it shattered as the enormity of the fact that she had nearly murdered the person she loved most in all the world was cut deep into her psyche, branding itself on the surface of her soul.

A gentle hand on her back made Lucy pull away violently and lunge unsteadily to her feet. Looking around wildly, the woman saw Natsu crouched on the ground where she had been a second before, both hands held out placatingly before him. Erza stood a little ways off, watching warily, worry written plain on her fair features.

"Lucy, it's okay. I'm fine," Natsu reassured her in a, to her, unreasonably calm voice. He stood and took a step towards her, then another.

The blonde flinched away and took several steps back, shaking her head as tears streamed down her face "It's not. It's _not okay,_ " she choked out.

"It _is_ ," Natsu insisted, taking another step towards her, unnerved by the way her whole body began to tremble, and the soul wrenching horror that was obvious in every little twitch.

Snapping, Lucy's brown eyes were wild as she shrieked " _It's not!_ "

Before the dragon slayer could reach out and grab her, the woman bolted headlong across the clearing and into the woods, fleeing blindly from the scene of her crime.

"We have to go after her," Erza said, stopping at Natsu's side, who watched helplessly as his friend vanished quickly from sight.

He didn't answer for a moment, plagued as he was by the vivid image of Lucy's agonized expression that had been burned into his mind. Her normally warm, brown eyes had been so...haunted.

"You stay here," he told the red head flatly, hands clenched into fists at his side.

"What? Natsu, you have no idea what she might do-" Erza objected, only to be cut off by her friend's furious glare as he cut the air between them sharply with a hand.

"I said stay here! Lucy won't _do_ anything. She's just afraid," he said, expression softening once more as he turned his eyes towards the tree line "We pushed her too fast, this is our fault, not hers. She wasn't sure she could control my magic, but we convinced her to do it anyways."

When Natsu's charcoal eyes flashed to her again, Erza lowered her gaze, conceding the point "You're right. We should have eased her into it...this was my miscalculation. I'm sorry," she said penitently, shoulders slumped in disappointment at herself.

After a moment, the requip mage took a deep breath and turned her attention back to her friend. Offering him a small smile, she said "You go look for her. I'll stay here in case she comes back first."

Natsu nodded at Erza's suggestion, then broke into a jog towards the point where Lucy had entered the forest.

* * *

Lucy sprinted carelessly through the woods, half blinded by tears, the rush of wind filling her ears with the speed of her passing. Stray branches lashed at her face and body, but she ignored them, taking on the pain willingly.

She deserved far worse.

As she ran, a hundred voices seem to clamber in her mind at once, all saying the same thing over and over again in a hundred different ways.

_You're a monster._

Lucy had never been called such before, but how many times had she heard the word thrown about in Natsu's presence? How many times had she jokingly called him one herself? A sob tore from the girl's throat as her hair snagged on a branch and yanked painfully. She pushed on, though, shoving off of a tree that she stumbled into, leaving a pair of hand prints charred deep into the weathered bark.

He _wasn't_ a monster, though. He was no saint, but he certainly wasn't a monster. He was a man that did whatever it took to protect his family, and those weaker than himself. A man that would always stand up for what was right in the face of overwhelming odds, someone who would laugh at danger while still possessing a heart capable of loving more deeply than anyone she had never known.

And she had almost killed him. _She_ was the only monster here.

The ground fell out from beneath Lucy's feet, and the woman stumbled, dropping to her hands and knees, crying out as sharp rocks cut tender flesh when she hit. Glancing back, she realized that the forest ended abruptly in a three foot drop at the edge of a lake. The shore she now knelt on was made up of jagged, black stone, silvery water licking at it's edge several yards away.

Sniffling, Lucy wiped her bloodied palms on her pants and got to her feet, barely noticing that her clothing had become badly charred (again) at some point during her fight with Natsu.

Thinking of her rose haired friend, the woman felt the nausea return once more as all of her shame, horror, and disgust returned full force. A deep sense of self loathing and _revulsion_ filled her, driving Lucy to the edge of the water where she lashed out at her own pathetic lack of self-control with a torrent of fire. Screaming her agony as she felt herself tear in two between existential horror and self hatred, more fire erupted from her throat, pouring out across the surface of the lake.

The cry seem to go on forever as she purged as much of the magic out through her lungs as she could. When she had screamed herself hoarse, and there was still more magic left, Lucy forced it out through her hands, lashing at the water that lapped around her ankles with whips of flame until she was trembling and exhausted.

When she could do no more, and her magical reserves were reduced to embers, the blonde stumbled and collapsed into a seated position amongst the quickly dissipating clouds of steam. She ignored the chill waters of the lake as they ebbed and flowed around her, burying her face in her hands, shoulders trembling.

Observing from the tree line, Natsu struggled not to run to his friend as she forced his magic out of her system, lashing out at the cold indifference of the world like a thing mortally wounded. It was horrible to watch, and even worse to listen to her anguished cries without being able to go to her side to comfort her.

When Lucy finally collapsed, magic spent, the dragon slayer approached her carefully.

It hadn't taken long for him to find her. He may not have the nose of a dragon anymore, but a man would have to be blind not to see the trail she'd cut through the woods in her mad dash to escape. It had been easy enough to follow her all the way to the lake.

Taking care to make some noise as he approached Lucy so he wouldn't startle her, Natsu took a seat behind her, just out of reach of the water, but close enough that he was able to press his back to hers when he leaned back a little. He felt her flinch at his touch, but she didn't pull away.

Natsu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, emanating calm in a way that he rarely did day-to-day. The quiet stretched on between them, but the dragon slayer felt Lucy's trembling gradually die away as his calm began to spread through her. Eventually, their breathing unconsciously synchronized, though his friend's breaths were shaky with the effort.

"Why am I so weak?" Lucy whispered finally, pulling her knees to her chest and pressing her forehead to them in an effort to shut out everything but herself and the man at her back.

"You're not," Natsu answered immediately, a frown furrowing his brow as he opened his eyes once more "Or did you miss the part where you kicked my ass?" he mused.

Lucy flinched, and the dragon slayer immediately regretted the joke. Before he could apologize, though, she said "Being able to beat people up doesn't make me strong," in a quiet voice "I've been given the strength of a dragon, but I can't even control it," Lucy added, throat tight with emotion as tears threatened to spill once more "You would _never_ do to me what I did to you today. I was...I was going to kill you, Natsu," she confessed, voice breaking.

"But you didn't," the dragon slayer responded simply, shrugging off his near death experience with the same cavalier attitude he always did.

Lucy turned sharply to look at him then, tear reddened eyes searching his when he did the same. When she saw no sign of revulsion, or even lingering antagonism in his open features, the woman's lower lip began to tremble.

"H-how? How can you just brush this off? How can you forgive my weakness so easily?" she demanded, furious with herself, even if he never could be.

Natsu cocked his head to one side as he considered his best friend, brow furrowed slightly "Why do you keep insisting that you're weak?"

"Because I couldn't control it. The magic...it swallowed me whole and I almost didn't escape it in time," Lucy admitted, rubbing fitfully at her eyes to keep her angry tears in check. When she was done, she looked at him, searching his features with her brown eyes as she asked "How do you do it, Natsu? How does it not eat you alive every time you fight? I've never seen you even come close to doing what I did today..."

Natsu turned a little, and settled himself more comfortably on the rocky shore so that he was seated next to Lucy now. He pressed his side up against hers in a subtle sign of support, their shoulders, hips, and thighs touching in his attempt to give comfort.

"You're not weak, Lucy," he told her, resting his elbows on his knees and staring out across the lake as Lucy gradually relaxed against him until she was resting her head on his shoulder "You have to realize...my power wasn't always as strong as it is now," he explained gently "It's...grown _a lot,_ over the years. I've had time to grow and adjust with it, I wasn't just saddled with it as is out of the blue like you were."

The dragon slayer lightly bumped her knee with his, and looked down at her, grinning when she turned her face up towards him "So, you're not weak, okay? Shut up about it already and have some faith, would you?"

"But-" she began, brow furrowing once more.

"You calling me a liar or something?" he groused lightly "If I say you're not weak, then you're not, alright?" in a quieter tone, he admitted "But, you were right earlier. Erza's idea _was_ stupid. We'll ease you into it so you can get used to it gradually."

"I didn't say her idea was stupid," Lucy objected, shouldering him with a snort "I said it was an accident waiting to happen, and I was right," she said darkly.

"Yeah, but you'll get it. I know you will," he said, flashing her one of his vibrant grins.

In the face of that sort of confidence, Lucy was unable to argue. She offered him a small, tentative smile, which caused his own to widen further in response.

"If it makes you feel better, it's gotten the best of me before too," the man admitted after a moment "It's easy to give in, but once I do...it's hard to break free. Luckily, I've always got something to drag me back."

"What is it?" Lucy asked curiously, watching him carefully as her friend stared out across the water before turning his charcoal colored eyes back to her once more.

"You, our friends, our family..." the smile was back as he regarded her "You all make it easier to resist losing myself in the first place, too," he admitted a little shyly.

_Our_ friends. _Our_ family.

What would she do without this precious man in her life? Honestly, the very thought terrified Lucy to the core, which had been the root of her horror at her earlier actions. The idea of a world without Natsu was a grim one indeed.

If nothing else, this afternoon had revealed, in no uncertain terms, that Natsu was the most important person to her in all the world. The dragon slayer was her best friend, her confidante, her support...her other half.

Resting her head on his shoulder once more, Lucy closed her eyes and took a deep breath, letting Natsu's scent wash over her, without allowing it to overwhelm her. The heady smell of herbs, combined with traces of smoke and sweat had a soporific effect on the woman as she relaxed against him.

The man shifted, and gently looped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her in closer as they sat and listened to the gentle lapping of the water against the rocks. Lucy drank in the warmth and solidity of his body against hers, and allowed the sensation to reassure her that he was okay, and that he wasn't going anywhere any time soon.

Not if she had anything to say about it.

"Hey," Natsu said, some time later.

"Hmm?" she hummed, eyes closed, reluctant to open them and face the world once more.

"Ready to go back?" he asked, voice reluctant. The dragon slayer had no particular desire to leave, but he did add "Erza's probably starting to worry."

Lucy wrinkled her nose at the idea of leaving, but had to admit that it was probably better for the two of them to go back under their own power, rather than allowing the requip mage to come find them.

A thought occurred to the former celestial mage, though, as she lifted her head and looked at Natsu "Actually, would you do me a favor first?"

"Sure," the dragon slayer answered without hesitation, bringing a smile to his friend's face.

"Would you mind summoning Aquarius for me? If I keep putting off talking to her we're liable to both be drowned in our beds when she finally harasses Loke into bringing her to us," she said with a grimace. She wasn't particularly looking forward to this meeting, but her zodiac friend deserved to be filled in.

"Yeah, alright," Natsu said as he clambered reluctantly to his feet, and offered Lucy a hand up. She took it gladly, and allowed him to pull her upright "Want me to stick around?" he asked cautiously.

"Definitely not," Lucy said "I definitely don't want any witnesses to this bloodbath," she joked weakly.

"Sure you can find your way back on your own?" Natsu asked as he pulled out the correct key.

Lucy smiled at his concern and the dragon slayer flushed, realizing that he was fussing over her for a change "I'll be fine," she reassured him gently, giving his hand a squeeze.

* * *

The first ten minutes after Aquarius' arrival was mostly a blur of angry shouting, water, and dodging. Natsu bolted for the woods the first chance he got after Lucy waved him off and started on the long process of getting the water bearer to calm down so they could actually talk.

Eventually, though, Aquarius stopped trying to kill her and actually settled down to listen to her story. Technically the spirit had already heard everything second hand from Loke, but news of the late night attack was new. Bodily harm was threatened to Natsu the next time he summoned her for not being there to watch Lucy's back, but Aquarius was, Lucy dared to think, at least a little impressed that she had managed to scare off four assassins on her own.

Discussing that morning's events was a little more difficult for Lucy, and she came close to tears more than once. At the end of it though, Aquarius just shrugged, and said "Well, if he can't withstand the occasional attempted murder, he's hardly worth your time."

The blonde stared up at her oldest friend and then asked "Just _what_ kind of relationship did you and Scorpio have anyways?"

This, it turned out, was precisely the wrong question to ask.

"What did you say, brat?!" the water bearer demanded as she rounded on Lucy and yanked painfully on her ears.

"Ow! OW! I'm sorry! I'm sure you were the perfect girlfriend!"

"Damn right I was! It was all that stupid cheating bastard's fault we broke up..." Aquarius snapped, but released her hold on her charge's tender ears.

Lucy rubbed them and grimaced, but dared not speak further on the subject. The quiet moment didn't last long anyways, as the water bearer soon said "Anyways, he seems like the type to forgive easy, if it's a friend," as she glanced out across the water, arms crossed under her ample chest.

"I know," the blonde said quietly, brow furrowed unhappily "I...sometimes I wish he wasn't though."

Aquarius glanced down at the shorter woman, frowning thoughtfully as she observed "You don't think that you deserve to be forgiven."

Lucy looked up at the spirit, expression pained "Well I don't, do I?" before turning her gaze back down to her hands, which she held before her; it was all too easy to imagine them covered in his blood. They had been before, after all, she had just never been the one to make it flow "I almost killed him in cold blood today."

"It wasn't you," the spirit countered firmly, allowing no room for argument as she watched her former master closely.

"I know," Lucy replied quietly as she let her hands drop to her sides once more "He said pretty much the same thing," she admitted "It's just..." a fine tremor began in her shoulders, making Aquarius reach out to her instinctively "I think about what could have happened, and I feel like _dying,_ Aquarius. A world without him in it is too horrible to think about, but the idea that I almost made it happen?" a stray tear rolled down the blonde's cheek as she turned to look up at her friend "That is so much worse."

"Stop it," the water bearer insisted, thrown by the raw emotion in the girl's voice even as she pulled her in for a tight hug "Just shut up and stop thinking about it. It didn't happen. You didn't do it. The world will go on, you'll learn to control that stupid magic of his, and then it will _never_ happen," she said as she rocked Lucy with uncharacteristic tenderness. Never had she seen the girl so overwrought in all the years they had been together.

When Lucy had herself under control once more, Aquarius continued to hold the girl, her chin resting gently on top of her head.

"You love him, don't you?" the spirit asked quietly. In her arms, she felt Lucy go rigid for a moment, before gradually relaxing once more.

"Y-yes," the blonde admitted quietly and buried her face in Aquarius' shoulder, unable to deny it any longer. She knew now, without a doubt, that what she felt for Natsu was more than just affection for a guild mate, or devotion to a family member. It was a deep and abiding love for someone she could not imagine her life without; a powerful longing to be with someone she genuinely believed to be her other half.

"What am I going to do?" Lucy mumbled with a sigh.

Aquarius blinked down at her friend as she let the girl go "What? Well, tell him, obviously."

The blonde stared up at the water bearer with wide, horrified eyes at the very thought "But w-what if he doesn't feel the same way?" she squeaked. For all that she had been on a few dates over the last year, the idea of confessing her affections to Natsu was somehow...unthinkable. Oh god, what if he _laughed_ at her? Or, worse, what if he said he loved her too but just meant it in a familial way? Worst of all, though, was the chance that he might not only not feel the same way...but what if it wrecked their friendship forever? There would be no going back to the way things had been once she confessed.

"Well you'll never know if you don't tell him. Whether you do or not, though, is your prerogative, I guess," Aquarius said with a shrug, and then vanished without so much as a goodbye.

Lucy blinked in surprise at the spirit's abrupt departure, unsure if she had left of her own accord, or if Natsu had broken off the gate. Looking around, though, she realized that she and Aquarius had been talking for at least two hours, if she was judging the sun right.

Brow furrowing worriedly, Lucy quickly started back towards the house.

* * *

The journey back was rather short, and Lucy quickly came to learn how it was that Natsu had found her so quickly, despite the fact that she'd had no idea where she was running to. The trail she'd cut through the underbrush was easy to follow, even without using her nose. As it was, though, she deviated from her original path and followed Natsu's more subtle one instead, as it lead directly back towards the house.

There was no one around outside when Lucy entered the clearing that surrounded Natsu and Happy's home, so she headed inside immediately.

"Natsu?" she called warily as she entered, only to be met with the sight of her friend collapsed face down on the couch.

Stomach dropping out from under her, Lucy rushed to the man's side and shook him gently "Natsu? Natsu, are you okay?" she asked, verging on panic.

Relief almost swamped her when the dragon slayer stirred under her hands and then turned to blink blearily up at her "Lucy?" he mumbled, then looked around in confusion "What am I doing on the couch?" he asked, then yawned so widely that his jaw popped before adding "And why am I so _tired_?"

Sitting back on her heels and catching her breath, Lucy smiled gently down at him "I'm sorry, it's probably my fault. Having a powerful spirit like Aquarius summoned can be taxing on your magic if you don't know how to regulate it," she explained gently as Natsu pushed himself up into a seated position "When you summon a spirit just to talk, you really don't need to feed them much magic to keep the gateway open, unlike when they're fighting. You probably had her magic on full blast and it drained you."

"Oh," Natsu said, blinking as he looked at his friend, seeming to search her face for something "So...are you alright?" he asked carefully, obviously not particularly bothered by his impromptu nap.

Lucy was able to offer him a hesitant smile as she said "I'm...better."

"Better enough for lunch?" the dragon slayer asked, grinning to cover up the deep sense of relief that welled up within him. His friend's smile had a delicate, fragile feel to it, but it was a definite improvement from earlier. Apparently talking with Aquarius had helped more than it hurt, however angry the spirit had been at first.

"Uh, sure," Lucy said, taken off guard by the change in subject. She was a little hungry, now that he mentioned it. No doubt a side effect of her forced power drain.

Natsu grinned and pushed himself to his feet, though winced briefly as pain lanced through his chest at the motion. Lucy's hands instinctively went out to support him, but he gently waved them off before saying "Well that's good. I thought I'd make chili or something. We should have everything we need."

"You make chili?" Lucy asked with some surprise at his words as she dropped her hands, tearing her gaze from the livid bruise blooming in the center of his chest.

"It's famous in the guild!" Natsu beamed proudly at her, though she had to wonder if it was famous for being good or being terrible. It was really a bit of a toss up when it came to her friend.

"Uh-huh," she said, her worry showing through in her voice.

"Oh shut up and come help."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ATTENTION! There will be NO UPDATE this Saturday, April 4th, 2015! 
> 
> Feel free to argue the existence of yoga pants in the FT-verse, but I don't give a hoot, lol! The idea occurred to me and I just couldn't resist throwing it in there XD  
> So I mentioned in a previous chapter's AN that I've been re-watching the series lately, and part of me is wondering where this fandom wide trope that Lucy had dated lots of guys come from. As far as I've seen so far (and can remember) there was like...ONE time, and even then she wound up ditching the date to go on a job with Natsu instead XD It's even stated that Lucy had never dated or kissed a guy before that point. Are there more boys later on? *doesn't really remember and hasn't seen them so far in her re-watching* Anyways, for the sake of the story, I figured she's probably been on at least a few dates since then while she figured out how she felt for Natsu, lol. She's hella hot, so there's no way that guys haven't at least been ASKING, you know?  
> Anyways, hope you all enjoyed! Some serious drama this chapter! Hopefully that makes up for the fact I won't be updating this Saturday, lol. See you all in a week!


	17. Changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaand we're back! Thank you everyone for being patient with me while I didn't post on Saturday. Having my friend visit was very nice ^__^ My husband also deployed last week, so I should be able to get some more writing done, too. I ate through some of my 'buffer' the last couple of weeks since I was trying to spend as much time with him as possible. Now that he and my guest are both gone, though, I guess I'll have plenty of time to write, haha. So, unless work becomes particularly murderous, you can expect the usual twice weekly updates (Tuesdays and Saturdays) once more!
> 
> I also want to thank everyone for their wonderful reviews on the last chapter! Once again I didn't have time to respond to most of you, but that will be changing now as well, since I have time again ^__^ Every comment is precious and they truly help keep me inspired to write, so please keep it up! I love you guys!

Natsu's 'famous' chili, it turned out, was almost completely inedible for the dragon slayer. Lucy, on the other hand, found it surprisingly delicious. The rose haired mage had cooked it to his usual standard of preferred spiciness, which was so hot that he was forced to drink half a gallon of milk just to choke down a single serving. Lucy laughed the whole way through her bowl (as well as her second and third helpings) at the sweat her friend broke out in as he grimly shoveled bite after bite into his mouth, refusing to give in.

The rest of the day was spent peacefully in one another's company after the Natsu explained that he had told Erza to go home as soon as he had returned from the lake. Happy, it turned out, had opted to head to the guild for awhile, no doubt hoping to catch some time with Carla.

Together they cleaned up the mess Natsu had left in the kitchen, and then wandered outside, both of them unused to having so much free time to themselves for a change. The dragon slayer decided to train awhile longer, though did not press Lucy to join him.

The former celestial spirit mage did drag a chair outside, though, and curled up in it with a book to read while her friend went through his exercise routine, powering through any soreness caused by the bruises she'd given him. She felt a little guilty, not joining him, but after her experience with combat training that morning...doing anything that remotely resembled fighting threatened to send her back into a panic. She was unspeakably grateful when Natsu didn't try to insist that she participate.

If she was being honest, Lucy would admit that she didn't get much in the way of reading done, despite how long the pair of them spent outside under the warm afternoon sun. Her attention was continuously diverted by Natsu as he alternately exercised and shadow boxed an invisible enemy. His movements were powerful, precise, and possessed a certain deadly grace that Lucy couldn't help but admire. Granted, she always admired Natsu when he fought, but usually it was more in the way that one did a natural disaster: for it's destructive power, and preferably from a very long ways off.

Watching him work strictly with hand-to-hand techniques was an education in and of itself, putting anything that Yukino could teach her to shame. Even when she had been on the verge of breaking him in their earlier bout, she realized belatedly, he had been taking it easy on her. It had wound up coming back to bite him later in their match, but Lucy was still impressed.

When Natsu paused for a water break and stripped off his vest and scarf, Lucy returned her attention to her book, flipping a page to keep up the facade that she was actually reading. When he started up again, though, her eyes inexorably strayed back to her friend.

While one couldn't call the dragon slayer traditionally handsome, no one could deny that he had a fantastic body. With a lean, well muscled frame, and not a spare ounce of fat on him, Natsu's torso alone could put statues of ancient heroes to shame.

Lucy would be lying if she said she'd never spent an idle daydream or two imagining running her hands languidly down those sculpted abs. She'd always felt a little hot, flustered, and ashamed of herself after the fact, though. One thing she would never admit, not even to Levy, was the fact that the dragon slayer had also made several appearances in her dreams on some of her lonelier nights.

Blushing fiercely at the memories, Lucy fanned herself rapidly with her book, trying to think of anything but those dreams. Those dreams were totally off limits and not to be thought of by the light of day!

“You okay, Lucy?” Natsu asked, pausing in his routine when he noticed his friend get up and head back towards the house.

“Um, yeah! I was just...gonna take a shower,” Lucy reassured him with a weak, embarrassed smile.

“Oh, alright,” he said “Don't take too long, I'm in next! Your magic makes me sweat,” he complained, wiping his brow with the back of his hand as he grinned teasingly at her.

“It does not!” she objected as she looked him up and down. Honestly, the sight of his sweat slicked skin in evening sunlight would have made her break out into a sweat if it weren't for his magic “It's just because you actually get hot now,” she chided him absently as he stretched his arms over his head, sending his muscles rippling in a most distracting fashion.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Lucy,” he laughed and waved her off.

Snapping out of her stare before he could notice and catch on to what she was doing, Lucy tossed her hair and hurried inside to take a cold shower.

* * *

When Natsu emerged from his own shower later than evening, he was accompanied by a cloud of steam and a blissful grin.

“I think I finally understand why you obsess over baths so much,” he admitted as he rubbed down his hair with his towel, then proceeded to drop it on the floor and head into the kitchen, where he pulled out the milk jug and took a long drink.

Lucy didn't answer, just arched an eyebrow at him before glancing meaningfully at the towel on the floor.

Natsu rolled his eyes as he returned the milk to the fridge and went to pick up the offending cloth and hang it up in the bathroom. When he returned to the living room, he gave her a look that said 'happy now?'

The blonde flashed him a sunny grin before finally commenting on his earlier statement “Finally discovered the wonders of a hot shower as well as hot coffee? You're having epiphanies right and left lately,” she mused as she flipped through a magazine on the sofa.

“I just never really needed to feel warm before I guess,” Natsu said with a shrug.

“You should have seen him the other night, Lucy, he didn't have any real blankets and he was so cold he didn't get a wink of sleep,” Happy teased Natsu from where he lounged across her lap. The exceed had returned not long after Lucy had finished her shower, and was now purring happily as she absently rubbed his belly.

“Well that would explain his grumpiness that morning,” Lucy chuckled as she set aside her magazine and glanced up at Natsu who was glaring at Happy.

“Yeah, and he couldn't even light a fire because we didn't have matches!”

“Don't make me come over there, cat,” Natsu warned as Lucy gently lifted Happy from her lap and placed him on the couch so she could get to her feet and head to the bathroom.

“Try not to kill each other while I'm in here, alright? We just cleaned,” the blonde joked before closing the door behind her to start her bedtime routine.

When both boys heard the sink turn on, Happy turned his attention to Natsu, who now looked solemn “How is she?” he asked worriedly. The exceed had been filled in by his friend on the morning's events before he had opted to disappear off to the guild for awhile to give the pair some alone time, but he was clearly still concerned for their friend.

“Better, I think,” Natsu said, voice low as he gathered up his pillow and blanket, and made himself a bed on the floor. No doubt Lucy would want some space tonight, so he decided to take the initiative and give it to her without his friend having to ask “She was...fragile, earlier, but it seems like talking to Aquarius helped a lot.”

“That's good,” Happy said with a sigh of relief “What are you going to do about training her, though?” he asked, frowning.

“We'll take a break tomorrow,” the dragon slayer said after a moment's quiet reflection “We'll spend the day having her train me instead. After that I'll ease her into things a little at a time,” he said “Lucy was right, Erza's idea was a disaster,” Natsu added, dragging a hand tiredly down his face as he settled onto his makeshift bed and flopped back onto his pillow.

“Lucy's smart, you should have just listened,” Happy chided gently as he fluttered into the air and made his way to his own bed.

“I knooooow,” Natsu groaned, rubbing his hands anxiously through his hair “I just...got carried away feeling like I had to prove myself or something,” he admitted reluctantly.

“That was dumb,” Happy said bluntly.

“Shut up,” the dragon slayer grumbled, though he knew full well that his friend was right.

Before either of them could say anything else, the door to the bathroom was flung open with a bang, making both boys look around in alarm.

Lucy stood in the doorway for a brief moment, staring at Natsu, before launching herself across the room and pouncing on him. The blonde grappled with the man as he struggled against her, completely taken off guard by her sudden attack.

“Lucy! The hell are you-” Natsu's complaint was cut off when the girl currently straddling his hips stuck her fingers in his mouth and pulled back his lips. She leaned in close and seemed to examine his teeth as the dragon slayer squirmed beneath her.

“I knew it!” she cried, releasing his mouth all at once and sitting bolt upright, and expression of horror on her face.

Taking advantage of her distraction, Natsu rocked his hips, and rolled so that he was now on top, and she was pinned beneath him. She grunted when her back hit the ground, and stared up at him, shocked by the sudden change of position.

“H-hey! What the hell are you doing?!” she demanded, writhing torturously beneath him as she glared her annoyance.

“You're the one that started it!” Natsu growled though he felt a blush begin to crawl across his cheeks. He had not thought this through in the slightest, and now here she was, pinned under his body with her thighs clamped around his hips...yeah, no. This was a terrible plan, however much his traitorous, pounding heart was reveling in the feel of her body pressed against his.

“O-oh...” Lucy said, blushing pink at his words, but having the good grace to look embarrassed. When she looked up at him again, it seemed to her that Natsu's face had moved closer to her's, and there was something in the way he was looking at her that made her heart leap alarmingly in her chest.

A second later, though, the moment was gone as Natsu rolled off of her, leaving Lucy laying there on the floor feeling like she had just missed something very important.

“So, what do you 'know'?” he asked, making her blink in confusion for a moment before her discovery in the bathroom came rushing back.

“This! Just look at this!” Lucy exclaimed as she shot upright and bared her teeth at her friend, pulling aside her lips so he could really get a good look.

Natsu stared in confusion for a moment before leaning in to take a closer look. It took a second, but he saw what she was trying to point out “They look like mine!” he said, taken aback by the change.

Happy 'oohed' and flew over to examine their friend's teeth more closely as well. Sure enough, Lucy's formerly flat human teeth had, at some point, become as sharp as Natsu's.

“No, they're not,” she said with an almost apologetic grimace and pointed to his mouth.

“What?” Natsu said, brow furrowed as he ran his tongue along his teeth. His eyes went wide with surprise when he realized that they were, indeed, no longer sharp “Holy crap,” he muttered to himself as he proceeded to stick his finger in his mouth and feel around further.

“Right?” Lucy said, doing the same, wincing when her finger was nearly pricked by her new fangs.

“How long have they been like that?” Happy wondered aloud, glancing between his human friends curiously.

“I don't know,” the blonde said with a thoughtful frown “But I'm sure I would have noticed when I was brushing my teeth this morning...”

Natsu grimaced and huffed as he pulled his fingers from his mouth and wiped them on his shorts, completely distracted from the almost moment between himself and Lucy a minute before.

“Just what else is this stupid wish going to change?” he complained.

“I swear to all the gods, if I wake up as a man one of these days, I'm throwing myself in the lake,” Lucy opined as she dragged her hands down her face tiredly.

Natsu and Happy both stared at her in abject horror at the idea.

“You...don't think that will actually happen, do you?” Natsu asked in a terrified whisper, dark eyes wide.

“I don't want Natsu to be a lady!” Happy cried “Or Lucy a man,” he added, obviously equally troubled by that possibility.

“I don't know, but I'm not freaking kidding about the lake,” Lucy said before dropping her face into her hands.

Silence fell over the trio for a long minute before the girl finally gathered herself and gave her head a shake “Ugh, whatever, there's no point in speculating now,” she said and climbed onto the couch, tugging the blankets up over her head.

“Yeah...” Natsu agreed after indulging in existential horror a moment longer before settling himself slowly back onto his own makeshift bed once more.

“Aw man, I'm gonna have nightmares now,” Happy whined as he fluttered back to his bed and curled up among his pillows after turning out the lights.

“Goodnight, Happy,” Natsu remarked with a quiet, amused snort as he rolled onto his side and tugged the blankets up around him, making himself as comfortable as possible. As quiet settled over them, the dragon slayer found himself internally cursing his decision to leave Lucy to herself on the couch. Still, he knew it was the right thing to do, so he wasn't about to go back on it now.

Problem was, every time he closed his eyes in an attempt to sleep, he was looking down at Lucy again, her wide brown eyes staring up at him as his hips rested between her soft thighs. This time, though, instead of struggling against him, she rocked her hips enticingly and looped her arms his neck, drawing him in closer...

The quiet sound of bare feet on hardwood floor pulled Natsu from his downward spiral with a start. Before he could look around, Lucy dropped her pillow next to his and proceeded to lay down behind him.

“Luce?” he murmured worriedly, twisting to look back at her over his shoulder.

“Let me in,” she whispered in his ear, tugging at his blanket in the dark.

Natsu rolled slightly so she could pull the edge of the blanket out from where it had been pinned beneath his shoulder and crawl under. She pressed herself up against his back and buried her face between his shoulder-blades. He could feel her inhale deeply as she relaxed against him, her breath tickling the skin of his back as she exhaled, long and slow.

Heart pounding in his chest, Natsu said hesitantly “I thought you'd want to sleep alone...after today.”

Behind him, he could feel her shake her head “No,” she replied before slipping an arm around his middle and pulling herself in closer “Alone's kind of the last thing I want to be right now,” she admitted shyly.

“I'm here,” he reassured her quietly as he took her hand at his waist and intertwined his fingers with hers.

“Thanks,” she murmured in a small, vulnerable voice as she gave his hand a grateful squeeze.

* * *

The next morning, Lucy was surprised to wake to Natsu shaking her gently.

“What?” she mumbled, cracking one eye to look at him where he sat beside her on their make-shift bed. He was still dressed in only his sleeping shorts, and Lucy's sleep fogged brain couldn't help but think that he looked remarkably sexy for someone that, presumably, just woke up.

“I was going to head down to the guild for a bit. Want to come?” he asked, poking her lightly in the shoulder when her eyes closed again.

“Yeah, alright,” she answered, though made no actual move to get up. Instead, she just rolled over in the blankets and curled around her friend's hips where he sat, her forehead pressed to his thigh.

“I kinda meant I was going to the guild now, Luce,” Natsu drawled at his friend, poking her in the ribs now, an affectionate smile on his face as he looked down at the girl wrapped around him. He had to admit, he wouldn't mind waking up like this every morning, given the chance. Granted, doing so in an actual bed would be a hell of a lot more comfortable. Maybe if he convinced Lucy to be his girlfriend he would finally invest in one...

Heart leaping up into his throat as the idle thought fully sank in, Natsu's hand slipped and he accidentally poked Lucy harder than intended. The woman yelped in protest, but it only half registered in the dragon slayer's ears.

Honestly, why did the thought take him so off guard? That was the point of figuring out how she felt about him, right? He wanted to be with her, not just as friends, but as more than that. In the end, that's what a girlfriend was, right? A female friend that you hugged, kissed, and held close at night; then moved on to doing other things with at night...

Natsu was distracted from this line of thought when the girl in question abruptly sat up and said “Alright, that's it!”

She pounced him for the second time in twenty-four hours, but this time, instead of attacking his face, she attacked his ribs. Lucy held him down by throwing her body perpendicularly across his, using a hand to pin one of his to the floor while she used the fingers of the other to mercilessly tickle his bare side.

The dragon slayer immediately erupted into gales of insane laughter as he thrashed under her, trying ineffectually to push her off of him. He knew at least a dozen ways to get out of just such a hold in a fight, but absolutely none of them were coming to mind in the face of her attack.

“OH GOD STOP,” Natsu shouted, begging for mercy as tears of mirth sprang to his eyes and he finally gathered his strength enough to roll so he was on top of her again. Unfortunately, he didn't get away fast enough, and Lucy locked her legs around his waist, using her superior strength to hold him in place while his hands were alternately occupied with trying to drag himself free of her grip, and keeping him from collapsing on top of her.

With her hands free, Lucy was now able to attack him from both sides, though, making Natsu devolve into laughter so overwhelming that made his arms shake. Finally, they gave out, and he collapsed onto his friend, his forehead smacking into hers sharply with an audible crack.

In unison, both mages swore violently and rolled away from one another while Happy watched from his bed, laughing so hard at their antics that he nearly tumbled right out of it.

“Oooow!” Lucy whined loudly as she pressed her forehead into her hands against the floor, hips in the air while Natsu continued to roll around groaning and clutching his head.

Finally, Happy actually did fall out of his bed, but managed to catch himself with his wings before hitting the ground.

“You guys are so dumb,” the exceed wheezed has he fought to catch his breath, tears of mirth streaming down his furry face.

“Shut up!” both humans objected sorely.

Eventually, the pain faded, and Lucy flopped over onto her side while Natsu sprawled spread-eagle on the floor among the tangle of blankets.

The dragon slayer turned his head to look at his friend and asked with a rueful smile “Awake now?”

Lucy grabbed a pillow and chucked it at him, laughing when it smacked him in the face “Yeah, I guess,” she said with a sigh before climbing to her feet and making her way over to the bathroom to get ready. Along the way, she stepped over him, but stumbled when Natsu briefly grabbed her ankle in passing.

Catching her footing, the blonde turned and scowled threateningly at him “Hey! I will tickle you again.”

Wide-eyed at the threat, Natsu clamped his arms to his sides and shook his head vigorously.

“That's what I thought,” the girl sniffed, then disappeared into the bathroom.

* * *

Despite Natsu claiming he was leaving 'now' upon his waking her, Lucy quickly realized that he fully intended to eat breakfast before actually doing that. So, the three of them had a quick meal (and mandatory cup of coffee), then headed out together.

“So, what's at the guild?” Lucy asked idly as they walked, glancing up at the bright blue sky. Except for a few small, fluffy white clouds scudding innocently high up in the atmosphere, the day promised to be hot and clear. Summer seemed to have finally arrived.

“Just wanted to check in on things,” the dragon slayer hedged, arms folded casually behind his head as they strolled along the familiar streets.

Lucy nodded thoughtfully at his vague answer, applying her own meaning to his words. She couldn't blame him. After yesterday, she was all for doing whatever it took to help Levy and Makarov finish their work on the changeling spell as soon as possible. Sure, neither she nor Natsu had either of the other mage's particular skills, but she got the impression that Natsu would even be willing to do translation work at this point if it helped get them back to normal a little faster.

Contrary to Lucy's assumptions, though, Natsu was far from focused on the changeling spell. Single-minded as he often was, all the dragon slayer was dwelling on at the moment was Erza. After the debacle that was yesterday's training exercise, the man felt a need to speak to the requip mage and set her straight on a few things after dwelling on them during his workout the previous day.

Happy glanced between his two partners, but opted not to comment on their preoccupation. A lot had happened over the past week, and his friends' thoughts seemed to weigh heavy on both their minds.

* * *

When they arrived at the guild, the trio split into two groups. Natsu went in search of Erza, while Lucy went to find Levy. Happy hesitated for a moment before ultimately deciding to follow after the female member of their team. The grim light in Natsu's eyes told the exceed that the dragon slayer didn't particularly want company at the moment.

Pausing at the top of the stairs after telling Lucy he'd meet up with her in a bit, Natsu looked around for a familiar head of red hair. Spotting it almost immediately, the man descended the steps and wove between the tables until he came to the one Erza had claimed for her own.

The requip mage seemed to be enjoying a cup of tea as she considered a stack of wanted posters, apparently trying to decide on her next job. She glanced up in surprise when someone reached over and tugged the sheets of paper out from under her eyes.

“Natsu,” she said, blinking when she realized who it was “How are you?” she asked, then quickly added “How's Lucy?” as she glanced worriedly around the room. The tightness around her eyes softened when she spotted the blonde chatting with Levy over by the job request board.

“Better,” the dragon slayer said with uncharacteristic curtness “We need to talk.”

Erza gave the younger mage a speculative look as she set her cup down and finally nodded “Of course,” she said as she got to her feet and gestured for him to lead the way.

Hands in pockets, Natsu took them out into the pool area. So early in the day, despite the promising warmth outdoors, the place was empty and the pair had it to themselves.

After double checking that they were indeed alone, the rose haired mage said “I wasn't sure if you were planning on come back to the house today, so I figured I'd try to catch you before you did.”

“No, I wasn't,” Erza said, voice soft as she lowered her eyes from Natsu's grim expression, easily reading the tension in his shoulders as a result of pent-up energy. The dragon slayer had something on his mind, and it was obvious he wasn't entirely sure how to go about saying it, despite how strongly he felt. It was strange, seeing him acting so seriously towards her outside of a fight, rather than goofing off or cowering in the face of her wrath like usual (depending on just what he had been up to). It was...refreshing.

“I know that I was wrong yesterday, I shouldn't have pushed Lucy,” Erza admitted readily “I am sorry, and I plan to tell her so as well.”

Natsu nodded, accepting her apology, as well as the fact that he wasn't really the one that she ought to be saying it to. Still, he recognized that she felt truly unhappy at the pain they had inadvertently caused their friend.

“I just wanted to tell you that Lucy and I will be doing our own training from now on,” the dragon slayer informed her. When the red head glanced up at him with a hurt look on her face, he raised a hand and said “Look, I know you meant well, we both did, but we both screwed up.” Natsu grimaced as he spoke, but quickly continued “This thing that happened to Lucy and me, though...I think we're just going to have to cope on our own.”

Erza regarded her friend thoughtfully for a moment as he paused and seemed to struggle for the words to express how he was feeling “I understand. It's...private.”

Natsu gave her a relieved half-smile when she found the words for him “Yeah,” he said, glad she was able to understand. You really didn't get much more private than your magic when it came to mages, and having it switched with someone else's...well, that just made it even more so.

“Well, If you need help at all, I'm here,” Erza said with a warm smile as she placed a reassuring hand on Natsu's shoulder.

Glad that they had come to an understanding, Natsu grinned, the tension draining from him as he said “Thanks, Erza.”

* * *

Leaving Natsu to his unknown quest, Lucy and Happy headed off to find Levy. It didn't take them long to spot the girl over by the job board, reading glasses perched on top of her head as she considered the posters thoughtfully.

“Going on a job, Levy?” Happy asked cheerfully.

The solid script mage gave a guilty jump of surprise and looked around at the exceed's voice.

“Happy, Lucy! I was just...um-”

For a moment, her friend's odd case of nerves immediately concerned Lucy, and she frowned worriedly. Before she could ask if everything was alright, though, an explanation for Levy's strange behavior occurred to the blonde.

Laughing, she hazarded a guess and said “Levy, you don't have to feel guilty about going on a job just because you're also working on something for me and Natsu.”

A weak, embarrassed sort of smile crossed the other girl's face when she realized she had been caught out “Yeah...it's just, I know how important it is to get you and Natsu switched back. I'd feel bad leaving now with the work only half done.”

Lucy quickly waved off her friend's concern “Levy, seriously, it's okay. Go on a job! I know I'm not the only one around here with rent to pay, and you never did get to go on that job with Gajeel, did you?”

If she were being honest, the blonde would admit that she would much rather her friend and Makarov be working on the changeling spell fully time, but she knew full well that it simply wasn't fair to ask that of them. Besides, despite how much her friend enjoyed her books and research, the girl's eyes were red rimmed from too long spent staring at a page, and she seemed restless. Even bookworms needed to get out occasionally.

“Well, no,” Levy admitted, suddenly looking downcast.

“What's wrong?” Lucy asked worriedly, stepping closer to her friend.

“Did something happen?” Happy asked, concern radiating from his furry, earnest face.

Their blue haired friend gave them both a small smile as she admitted “Sorry, it's just that...I don't know, I feel like Gajeel's been avoiding me since the other day. I can hardly say two words to him before he has to be off on some business or other.”

As the girl fidgeted absently, her large brown eyes threatened tears at the thought of the man she had a crush on avoiding her. Lucy flinched internally, though managed to keep it from showing in her body language, knowing full well that this was likely her fault. Maybe she had been a little hard on Gajeel the other day...

“I'm sure it's nothing, Levy,” Lucy reassured her friend with a warm smile and suggested “Why don't you pick out something for the two of you now and just ask him the next time you see him?” even as she internally vowed to put things right with the iron dragon slayer. For all he had been very much in the wrong by listening in on her and Levy, that didn't mean she wanted him to start avoiding the girl.

Men. They just couldn't read between the lines.

“You think so?” Levy asked, hope dawning in her eyes once more.

“Definitely!” the blonde said, giving her friend a cheerful grin so reminiscent of Natsu that both Levy and Happy giggled.

“Alright!” the solid script mage said, clenching one hand into a fist as she came to a decision “I'll do it! I promise I'll get right back to work as soon as I get back, though,” she told her friend with a firm nod.

Lucy smiled at her dear friend before a thought occurred to her and she asked “Oh, how about this? Is there anything I can do to help move things along while you're gone? Obviously I can't really help out with the actual spell work, but if you need me to just do some translations to make things go a little faster, I can do that.”

Levy blinked, and then smiled “There is, actually! There's some obscure references I was trying to figure out earlier that a pair of fresh eyes might have an easier time with,” she said before heading off towards the library area, Lucy and Happy in tow.

* * *

While Erza went back to her tea, Natsu decided that he might as well look for Makarov while they were at the guild. After all, he had told Lucy that he wanted to check in on things. If he didn't, she'd be bound to start asking awkward questions.

Not seeing the old mage anywhere in the main room, or up in the S-class area, the dragon slayer made for the little used office Makarov would sometimes hole up in when Mirajane put her foot down and forced him to catch up on paperwork.

When he got there, Natsu paused as the sound of voices within reached his ears through the door, which had been left ajar. Stepping to one side slightly, the rose haired mage could see a tall, familiar form standing before the Master's desk. Though he was lacking his usual armor, and was wearing a wide brimmed hat to help shield his features, Natsu would recognize Arcadios anywhere.

“If our suspicions are correct, then the ramifications could be devastating for Fiore, and the rest of the world,” the knight said grimly.

“We're still not positive,” Makarov replied “We simply can't take action without more proof than what we have so far.”

“What about the knife?”

“I've sent it off to a specialist that should be able to tell us more about it,” the Wizard Saint replied curtly.

“And you're certain-”

Arcadios' question cut off, and Natsu knew that he'd been found out. Taking the initiative, the dragon slayer knocked on the door and then stuck his head in without invitation.

“Hey Gramps!” he said with a cheeky grin “Any news on the spell yet?” Natsu asked, then added, seemingly as an afterthought “Oh, hey Arcadios.”

Makarov blinked at Natsu's sudden appearance and then shook his head “No, nothing yet, though Levy and I are making promising headway,” he reassured the dragon slayer “Now get out of my office, brat, I'm in a meeting.”

“Yeah, yeah, alright,” the dragon slayer huffed “Later, Arcadios. Say hi to the princess for me.”

The knight arched an eyebrow at the two mages, then nodded his agreement “Of course. The king also asked me to tell you that he would like his crown back next I saw you.”

“Whaaat?” Natsu said “No way! I totally earned that! Besides, he gave it to me,” the dragon slayer objected.

Arcadios' eye twitched, but he continued calmly “He simply allowed you to wear it, he didn't give it to you. That crown has been passed down through the Fiore royal family for generations-”

“Yeah okay, bye!” Natsu said when the knight threatened to go into a full on lecture, ducking out of the room and snapping the door shut behind him, then hurried away. Luckily, whatever the man had been discussing with Gramps was important enough that he didn't give chase.

When he returned to the main hall, Natsu spotted Lucy and Happy exiting the library at the same time. He had a deep sense of foreboding when he noticed that his friend was carrying a stack of books.

“Levy gave us homework?” he asked the blonde as he reached her, a grimace on his face as he looked at the pile.

“Yep!” Lucy said with a wicked grin as she foisted the books off onto her partner, Happy snickering behind her “Hope you're ready to burn the midnight oil!”

Natsu groaned at the news “But I wanted to train today!” he complained. He didn't miss the way the smile dropped off his friend's face, though, or how her brown eyes went wide in alarm at the suggestion.

“N-Natsu, I don't think-” she began, anxiety clear in her suddenly rigid body language, and the way her face went pale.

“I wanted you to train me today,” the dragon slayer hurried to add, stomach twisting at her obvious discomfort. Yesterday's debacle had really done a number on the blonde, and it hurt him to know that he was at least partially responsible for her trauma.

“Oh...” Lucy said, blinking up at him, the relief palpable in her voice when she said “I...yeah, we can do that,” and gave him a small smile. She quickly added “We'll be hitting the books after that, though!” she told him firmly “Levy's taking a break to do a job, and it's not fair that we've been relying on her and the Master to do all this for us without helping any ourselves.”

Natsu grimaced at the news, but was forced to agree “Yeah, alright. I can live with that.”

“Natsu doing book work? That will be a first,” Happy snickered as the trio turned and headed for the doors.

“Oi, shut it,” the dragon slayer retorted, unable to swat at the exceed thanks to the books he carried.

Lucy just smiled and rolled her eyes at her friends before turning to wave at Levy. The solid script mage waved back just before they walked out the door.

“So, what are you going to show me first, Lucy?” Natsu asked with a grin, taking a few quick steps so he was in front of her, before spinning on heel and walking backwards so he could watch her while they talked “Urana Metrio? How to summon two spirits at once? That crazy star whip thing?”

“It's Urano Metria, Natsu,”Lucy corrected him with an indulgent, though slightly exasperated, smile “And no way we're starting with that-” she continued, only to pause when she spotted Gajeel heading toward them through the front gate.

The iron dragon slayer froze comically mid-step when he laid eyes on Lucy, causing Lily to bump into him from behind. Before the blonde could venture so much as a hello, though, the dark haired man spun on heel and walked right back out the gate, leaving his exceed friend in the dust.

“H-hey!” she called after him, hurrying to catch up without thinking. Natsu and Happy traded looks with Lily, and all three followed after, interested to see how things might play out.

“Gajeel, wait!” Lucy called after the man, rounding the corner and breaking into a jog to close the gap between her and the dragon slayer. When he didn't respond, she grabbed his arm and said “I said stop, dammit! I just want to talk!”

Hesitantly, the dragon slayer did as asked, crimson eyes glancing over her head at their audience. Lucy wasn't sure if he was annoyed by their presence, or relieved that at least there would be witnesses to his potential murder.

“What do you want?” he growled reluctantly down at the woman before him, who had the good grace to look penitent.

“I...” Lucy paused, then decided that she might as well cut to the chase “Look, are you avoiding Levy?”

Gajeel gave her a suspicious look before glancing away at nothing in particular as he answered “I ain't doing anything.”

“That means yes,” Natsu remarked with a wicked grin at the other slayer, who scowled fiercely at him as he crossed his arms over his chest “What, it's true,” the rose haired mage snorted.

“Shut up,” Gajeel growled, turning to leave again, only to be stopped when Lucy placed a hand on his arm once more.

“Hey, Gajeel...I'm sorry about the other day,” she admitted with a sigh “I know I got pissed about you spying on us,” she gave him a sharp look “which you had better not ever do again,” her face softened again, though, as she continued “but...I didn't mean that you had to stay away from Levy.”

The iron dragon slayer looked from Lucy, to Natsu, who just raised his eyebrows, so he turned his eyes back to the girl again as she spoke once more.

“You're kinda a jerk, and dense as a brick when it comes to women,” Lucy said, ignoring the strangled snort of annoyance the tall man emitted at her words “But...You ignoring Levy because I shouted at you is really hurting her, so stop it,” she said with a sniff and a scowl up at Gajeel.

The iron dragon slayer seemed torn between pretending he didn't care for the sake of keeping up appearances, and being desperately interested in her words. Finally, he settled somewhere in between.

“She's...actually upset?” he asked cautiously, as though hardly daring to hope that what the blonde was telling him was true.

A wry smile crossed her face and she said “Last I checked, she was looking at the job board...”

“I didn't see Jett and Droy today, did you?” Natsu remarked casually to Happy as he glanced innocently up at the bright blue sky and shifted his grip on the books in his arms.

“I heard they're out on a job,” Happy added, grinning at the hope dawning over Gajeel's angular features.

“Like I care what those idiots are up to,” the man grumbled in an attempt to keep up the facade “Come on, Lily, I forgot something in the guild yesterday,” he said, turning and passing their little group as he headed back towards the guild.

The black exceed rolled his eyes at his partner, pausing by Lucy and Natsu to say what his friend would not “Thank you,” before following Gajeel.

The trio watched them go, faces showing varying degrees of amusement. Happy was stifling a grin, and Natsu chuckled as he watched his iron rival pick up his pace and speed walk towards the door in his hurry to find Levy, as though he were afraid she might disappear before he got there. Lucy was smiling, relieved that she had managed to repair the damage she had done before it had upset her friend over much.

“Come on, Lucy!” Natsu called back over his shoulder as he set off down the street “We've got training to do!”

“Hey, don't just walk off without me!” she objected, jogging to catch him and Happy up.

“Well then don't stand around staring off into space,” he chided with an amused grin “You'll get hit by a cart or something.”

Lucy 'tsked' and pushed the dragon slayer playfully “If you don't watch it, I'm gonna push you in front of a cart.”

“You'll have to catch me first!” the rose haired mage challenged as her attempt to push him missed and he took off at a run.

“Oi! Watch those books! They're delicate!” Lucy called after him as she gave chase.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed! If so, please do leave a review! They really help me keep writing, and we've got some crazy stuff coming up!!


	18. A Distant Melody

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has probably been my favorite chapter to work on so far, so I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did writing it! Also, the official tumblr for the fic is still up and running, so check that out if you haven't already! You can follow it for notices when the fic updates, and also for sneak peeks of future chapters; not to mention you can drop an ask for any of the characters, or myself! It's 'one-wish-fanfic' over on tumblr ^__^

"Good! Now do it again."

"What?! This is like, the millionth time!" Natsu complained, voice threatening a whine as he looked at his 'master'.

"You're getting better, but you're still slow making the connection and completing the summoning," Lucy critiqued from where she sat on the chair she'd brought outside "Summoning a spirit quickly can be the difference between life or death, Natsu."

The dragon slayer, and celestial mage in training, dragged his hands down his face tiredly. He'd been practicing for a few hours now, and though he'd only summoned a few spirits, he already felt exhausted. The first couple of hours had been taken up mostly by Lucy lecturing him on the need to control the amount of magic he used to maintain a spirit's physical form in their world. If they were just there to chat, you only needed a little thread of power. If they were fighting, though, you needed more, while not feeding them everything you had, lest you burn out too quickly and wind up being left unprotected.

"Ugh, I had no idea your magic was so _complicated_ ," Natsu grumbled as he reached for the ring of keys once more and plucked Virgo's from among them. He was still working on memorizing who's key was who's, but her's was one he recognized.

A smile tugged at Lucy's lips as she glanced up at him again from where she was working on the spell translation for Levy and said "Just do it again."

The dragon slayer huffed, but raised the key and said "Gate of the virgin, open! Virgo!"

When nothing happened, Natsu blinked in confusion at the key in his hand "Oh what now?" he demanded, scowling unhappily.

"What does Aquarius' key need in order to summon her?" Lucy asked without looking up from her work.

"Water," Natsu answered automatically without having to think about it. The water bearer always made a big deal about what _kind_ of water was used to summon her, so the fact came easily to mind.

"Right, so think about Virgo," Lucy said "What would she need?"

The dragon slayer's brow furrowed in thought as he considered the familiar spirit. Well, she liked 'punishment', dressing like a maid, and digging...A proverbial light went on over Natsu's head and he grinned, then pressed the tip of the key into the dirt at his feet as he said "Gate of the virgin, open! Virgo!"

This time, a bell echoed, and the pink haired spirit appeared, erupting from the ground before him. She landed and bowed low as she said "Hello, temporary Prince," and then glanced around at Lucy "and Princess, of course."

"Hey Virgo, how are you?" Lucy asked with a smile.

"I am well, thank you," the spirit replied before turning her attention back to her summoner "So, Prince, is it punishment time? This is your first time summoning me, perhaps something involving a lash would be appropriate..."

"V-Virgo!" Lucy objected, surprised that the girl had actually tried that line on Natsu. Perhaps she shouldn't have been, though. What really surprised her, though, was Natsu's response.

"Well, if that's what you want, I guess," the dragon slayer said with a shrug before looking at Lucy "Hey Luce, where's your whip?"

"Really?" Virgo asked, looking up at the man with wide blue eyes full of hope as she clasped her hands before her.

"No!" Lucy exclaimed, jumping up from her seat and sending books and paper cascading to the ground around her.

"Why not?" Natsu asked with a blink, his expression mirrored by Virgo.

The blonde stared at the both of them for a long moment, completely flabbergasted by their blasé attitude. Virgo she expected this from, but finding Natsu willing to accommodate without second thought was something of a surprise.

"You'd really hit her?" Lucy demanded, taken aback and vaguely horrified.

Confused as he ever was by his friend's reluctance to do what Virgo requested "Well, not _hard,_ " he said, rubbing the back of his head thoughtfully "But, I mean...if it's what she really wants, why not?"

Lucy opened her mouth to answer, then snapped it shut when nothing came to mind. Finally, blushing bright red, the woman marched up behind Virgo, swung her arm back, and smacked the spirit sharply on her rear. If that was what she wanted, then fine, but Lucy drew the line at letting a boy do it!

"T-there! Happy now?" Lucy asked as Natsu gave a startled laugh and Virgo jumped, and spinning to face the blonde in her surprise.

"Princess!" she gasped, starry-eyed and obviously happy, while still maintaining her usual expressionless mask "Thank you very much," she added.

Just as she was about to leave, though, Lucy stopped her "Hang on, Virgo, I want Natsu to practice forced gate closure, if you don't mind," she requested, face still bright red.

"Of course, the Prince may do with me as he pleases," Virgo said with a small bow as she turned back towards Natsu.

Lucy flushed brighter yet, and smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand, then dragged it down her face. Natsu didn't seem to catch the double meaning, and the blonde wasn't entirely sure that Virgo had even _meant_ it that way...It was impossible to tell with the spirit.

"So what do I do?" Natsu asked, turning to look at Lucy, who took a deep breath and gathered herself before answering.

"It's fairly simple, but it can take some practice," the girl explained "First, you'll need to focus in on the magic link between you and Virgo. Take a moment now to feel it out."

The dragon slayer nodded and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he felt for Lucy's increasingly familiar magic. In a distant sort of way, he could feel all of the spirits tethered to the keys at his hip, but though he could sense their presence, there was no direct link between himself and any of them at the moment. That being the case, feeling out the one he now sustained between himself and Virgo was easy. It was like a thin, but strong, golden thread that spanned the gap between them, giving her substance in their world, and tethering her there.

It had taken some practice to narrow down the amount of magic he fed into the spirits he summoned, but with Lucy's coaching, he had managed to get it down to the bare minimum needed in casual settings such as this. Fighting efficiently was something yet to come.

"Alright, got it," he answered, eyes still closed, turning his head slightly to catch Lucy's words when she replied.

"Now, it sounds easy, but the next part can be deceptively difficult," she cautioned "You're going to take that connection and imagine it breaking, or being cut. Whatever mental image works for you. Sometimes adding in a physical gesture helps."

Natsu nodded and focused in on the golden thread once more. Bearing down on it with the rest of his magic, he willed it to snap. The connection shifted under the attack, though it did not break. He could _feel_ the blow totheir bond as an odd yanking sensation somewhere behind his heart.

Hissing quietly, the man's hand went to his chest without thinking. Rallying himself, he tried again, this time making a sharp, cutting motion with his hand through the air before him. The bond between himself and Virgo strained uncomfortably...and then broke.

Natsu opened his eyes and looked around just in time to see the celestial spirit dissolve into golden light, and then vanish.

"That...is harder than I thought," the dragon slayer admitted as he glanced at Lucy, using the back of his hand to wipe a fine sheen of sweat from his brow.

"It gets easier over time. If you're lucky, though, you'll never have to use it," the blonde said with a grimace. It wasn't often she did, but it had saved her _and_ her spirits more than once.

The dragon slayer nodded thoughtfully at her words, no doubt recalling the same circumstances she did as his friend glanced around at the mess she had made jumping up out of her seat.

"Come on, help me pick this stuff up and we can take a break for dinner," she said as she crouched down and started gathering stray sheets of paper and fallen books.

"Aw come on, you're the one that dumped everything on the ground," he grumbled half-heartedly, but moved to help, regardless. Her words sank in as he crouched beside her, and he did a double take "Break? We're not done?" he asked, glancing at the horizon where the sun was already beginning to set.

"Nope," Lucy said, looking heavenward herself, though in the opposite direction. The moon had already begun to rise, though it was almost indistinguishable from the dark blue sky around it. It was the merest sliver that night, just shy of a new moon "Don't worry, the next part is easy," she reassured him with a grin.

The dragon slayer looked at the moon curiously, wondering what his friend had planned as they both walked back into the house.

* * *

While Lucy and Natsu had been training, Happy had taken the grocery list the blonde gave him and headed into town to fetch the things they would need for dinner. By the time the pair came inside, the exceed had returned, and was washing potatoes.

"Thanks for running to the market, Happy," Lucy said with a grateful smile as she scratched his ears affectionately before rummaging through the bag he'd brought back.

"No problem!" the exceed answered cheerfully as he set the last potato aside and asked "What should I do with them now?"

Lucy glanced over as she pulled out the roast she had asked their furry friend to get from the butchers and said "Think you can handle chopping them into quarters and putting them in a pot for me?"

"Aye!"

She grinned at the cat as she grabbed out a pan and put the roast on it before going back for the seasonings in the cabinet. Lucy paused and looked around when she realized that she hadn't heard Natsu making any comments as she instructed Happy.

"Hey, Natsu!" she called sharply when she spotted him sprawled on the sofa, not doing anything in particular.

The dragon slayer gave a start, and lifted his head to look at the blonde "What?"

"Don't just lay there, lazy! If you're not going to help with dinner, then go start some laundry," she instructed, pointing meaningfully at the full laundry basket.

Natsu groaned, but at the look she gave him, rolled off the sofa to do as he was told. Putting clothes in the wash was easier than helping with dinner, at least.

"Make sure you check the pockets!" Lucy called after him as he pushed into the small back room of his house that served as both closet and laundry room, basket under his arms.

"Yeah, yeah," he grumbled as he flipped on the light and let the door swing shut behind him.

With a sigh, the man dropped the basket and started tossing clothes into the lacrima powered washing machine he'd bought several months before. He hated doing laundry, but after seeing the machine Lucy had at her apartment, he'd been forced to admit that having something to do the inevitable washing for him was a lot better than doing it by hand. After all, he couldn't afford to just keep buying new clothes all the time.

Coming across a pair of pants, Natsu stuck his hand in the pocket to make sure nothing had been left in them, as instructed. When his fingers came into contact with paper, the dragon slayer's brow furrowed in confusion and he pulled out the tightly folded slip.

Opening it and turning slightly to the light so he could read it, Natsu immediately recognized the note. It was the one that Lucy had left for him and Happy at her apartment after the attack. While reading it brought back memories of the panic that had nearly given him a heart attack at the sight of his friend's ransacked home, the salutation at the end banished them once more, and brought a smile to his lips.

_Love,_

_Lucy_

Natsu brushed the pad of his thumb over the words, heart fluttering as he read them again.

Love.

Shaking himself, the dragon slayer re-folded the note and put it in his current pocket, then finished tossing laundry in the machine and started it.

Returning to the living room, Natsu made his way over to his memory wall and grabbed up the pen he left on the shelf just below it and added something to Lucy's note.

"What's that?" the girl in question asked curiously, watching him from the kitchen as she finished seasoning the roast and put it in the oven.

Jumping slightly when he was caught, Natsu looked around and said "Oh, it's just...your note," he admitted, willing himself not to blush as she walked over to take a look.

She smiled when she read what he had added to the margin.

_Lucy got attacked by ninjas!_

"I didn't realize you'd kept it," she said with a smile up at him as he turned to the board before them, looking for a place to pin it among his other keepsakes and posters.

"Well, getting attacked by ninjas is a pretty big deal," he remarked as he found mostly empty spot next to the star artifact they had inherited from Johnathan Hawkes. He and Happy had rigged up a bit of wire to wrap around it so that they could hang it from the corner of the cork board "Even _I've_ never been attacked by ninjas," he added with a grin while he placed the paper in it's spot and looked around for a pin.

Finding one not yet holding anything to the board, Lucy plucked it up and stuck it through the top center of her note, smiling.

"I guess you're right," she admitted with a laugh.

* * *

A little while later, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy all returned outside after dinner and the clean up that followed. Neither the dragon slayer nor the exceed were particularly fond of the fact that Lucy insisted they do dishes after _every_ meal, but they'd both quickly caught on to the fact that it was easier to just get it done than attempt to argue with the woman about it.

"So what are we doing?" Natsu asked curiously, carrying his old blanket as well as one of the new ones he had purchased in his arms as he followed Lucy out into the center of the clearing where they'd trained the day before.

"Well, you're learning to summon zodiac spirits, so you should really learn how to spot their constellations too," Lucy informed him, grinning back over her shoulder at Natsu and Happy, two pillows under her arms "Here should be good I think," she said as she glanced around at the undisturbed patch of grass.

"We're stargazing?" Happy asked as Natsu spread out his old blanket on the ground, and then put the newer, softer one on top of that at Lucy's instruction.

"Basically," Lucy said as she flopped down on the blankets, propping her head up on her pillow so she was comfortable as she looked up at the stars.

"And this is supposed to help me be a better celestial spirit mage?" Natsu asked skeptically as he remained standing, his gaze turned skyward.

"Well, not really," the blonde admitted "But it's kinda rude to not even be able to spot everyone's constellations, you know."

"Really?" Happy asked curiously as he dropped his own pillow and sprawled comfortably across it.

"Think of it like..." Lucy struggled for an adequate comparison "-like being best friends with someone, but not even knowing their last name," she explained "It's a part of them. If you're going to the their friend, and partner, then you should know."

Natsu looked down at Lucy, meeting her eyes, a thoughtful expression on his face "I guess that makes sense," he agreed as he settled himself down on the blankets next to her.

"Hey! No shoes on the blanket," she chided him.

Natsu went to point out that _hers_ were on the blanket, only to realize that she had, in fact, kicked her sandals off before laying down "Picky," he grumbled, but did as asked, then flopped back onto the blanket beside her.

"Alright," Lucy began as they all settled in comfortably "So, can you name off all ten zodiac keys you have right now?"

"Er," Natsu said, grimacing as he thought. He hadn't realized there would be a pop quiz with this lesson "Virgo, Leo, Aquarius, Cancer, Taurus," the dragon slayer recited, ticking off his fingers as he went, starting with the obvious ones that came to mind first, then paused as he recalled the others "Sagittarius, Gemini, Aries...Scorpio, and Capricorn?"

Lucy turned her head slightly to look at him, surprise written clear on her face "Hey, you remembered them all!"

"Good job, Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.

"Always the surprise," he drawled, elbowing her lightly.

"Oh please, half the time you just call Cancer 'crab guy', can you blame me?" she asked with a snort.

"They're your important friends, of course I remember them, Lucy," the dragon slayer said with a frown as he crossed his arms over his chest.

The blonde blinked at him, and then smiled softly before turning her gaze skyward once more.

"Okay, so lets start with Virgo..."

* * *

A little while later, Lucy was _not_ making much headway with her boys.

"I don't know what the heck you're talking about, Lucy!" Happy cried, squeezing his face in next to hers in an attempt to look at the stars from her perspective "I don't see Capricorn in there at all!"

"I think you're just making this up as you go along," Natsu commented as he squinted up at what was supposedly a constellation that looked like a goat of some sort.

"Oh come on! I already explained, it's not supposed to look just like them or anything! You're supposed to use your imagination to fill things in!" Lucy said, laughing in exasperation as she dropped her arm, on the verge of giving up for the night.

"Whatever you say, Lucy," Happy said, stifling a yawn behind one blue paw "I'm going to bed, though, you guys have fun making star pictures," the cat commented as he grabbed up his pillow and flew back towards the house.

The blonde let out a long, put upon sigh while Natsu craned his head around to watch Happy go.

"It is getting pretty late," the dragon slayer admitted reluctantly, figuring that between himself and the exceed, they had probably tried Lucy's patience enough for the evening that she would want to go to bed as well.

As he pushed himself into a seated position, though, Natsu was surprised by Lucy placing a hand over his from where she still reclined on the blankets.

"Wait," she said, turning her eyes to meet his, a small, hesitant smile on her face "I want to show you one more thing."

Heart racing unexpectedly Natsu lowered himself back onto the blankets, his shoulder just brushing hers "What is it?" he asked.

"Well, I can't really _show_ it to you," Lucy admitted, looking oddly shy and embarrassed all at once, peaking the dragon slayer's interest, as well as plaguing him with thoughts of how cute she was in moments like this "It's something that my mother taught me when I was really little. It's been so many years since then, though...sometimes I wonder if I just dreamed it up. I've never asked Yukino if she can do it too," the girl rambled self-consciously

"Just tell me already," Natsu said, turning to grin reassuringly at her "Not like I don't already think you're crazy."

"Thanks," she replied blandly, but his joke had done it's job in setting her at ease once more. Lucy took a breath and said "Alright, I want you to take a deep breath and just...listen."

"Listen to what?" Natsu asked, confused as he turned his head to look at her again.

"Just _listen_ " she told him firmly, raising a hand to push gently against his cheek, directing his gaze from her to the sky above.

Realizing that he wasn't going to get more of an answer out of her until he at least gave it a go, Natsu did as he was told.

For some time, he didn't hear anything out of the norm. The gentle sigh of the wind in the long grass around them, the quiet chirp of insects, and the call of a nightingale all filled his ears as the minutes stretched on.

More than once he opened his mouth to speak, but each time, Lucy would press a finger to his lips to silence him before he had a chance. The dragon slayer sighed and contented himself with listening and watching the stars.

They filled the void above him like diamonds scattered across a vast swath of inky velvet, brighter than ever thanks to the lack of moonlight and their distance from town. Natsu wasn't normally one for simply admiring nature, but even he had to admit that the view was beautiful. Just as he was trying to pick out Aquarius' constellation from among the seemingly infinite array of stars, though, he heard it.

It wasn't music, not quite. It was a high, infinitely distant chime that echoed somewhere within the heart of Lucy's magic. The sound was clear as crystal, and breathtakingly beautiful in a peculiar, alien way that he instinctively knew was not of Earthland.

Glancing sideways at Lucy, his eyes wide with astonishment, Natsu was met with the sight of his best friend grinning excitedly at him. She could tell that he had heard it, if only briefly. Before he could ask what it was, though, she pressed her finger to her own lips and gestured skyward once more, clearly wanting him to listen more.

Intrigued as he was, the dragon slayer readily followed orders, barely glancing over at her when she moved to close the distance between them, pressing her side against his. He did, however lift his arm and wrap it around her, allowing Lucy to move in closer yet and rest her head on his shoulder without complaint.

Closing his eyes, Natsu let the unfamiliar sounds wash over him. The initial, gentle chime was soon joined by others, until his ears seemed to be filled by a chorus of voices that sang wordlessly to him from across the depths of the vast night sky. Somewhere behind them was a deep, infinitely slow beat that echoed through the dark like the heartbeat of the universe.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Lucy murmured some time later.

"Can you hear this all the time?" Natsu asked quietly as he opened his eyes once more and turned to see her smiling wistfully at him.

She shook her head and shifted so she was looking up at the stars again "No, it has to be very quiet to hear them."

"Them?" he asked, watching the way the starlight reflected in her soft brown eyes.

"The stars," Lucy replied, smiling as she looked at him again "I always wondered if I was just imagining it," she mused quietly "If you can hear it though, I guess that means I'm not crazy after all. Mom said it had something to do with being a celestial spirit mage," a small frown pulled at the girl's features as she added "I don't remember her explanation why anymore, though."

Natsu blinked at her words, his brow furrowing slightly as he asked "Can you hear them now?"

"No," she admitted quietly, a deep sense of loss written clear across her features for him to see. Lucy attempted to brush it aside with a smile, though, as she added "As long as you can hear them, though...I'm glad."

Watching her for a long minute with dark eyes, Natsu eventually replied "Thanks for teaching me," as he tilted his head and gently rested it against hers, squeezing her lightly with the arm he had around her shoulders.

"You're welcome," she whispered, and Natsu did her the kindness of not drawing attention the tears that slipped free and rolled down her cheeks.

The pair lay in silence for some time before the dragon slayer finally spoke again.

"Lucy, do you...feel like you're changing? You know, since the wish? Besides the obvious stuff, I mean," he asked hesitantly. When she didn't answer, Natsu turned to look at her, thinking she must have fallen asleep. Instead, he was met with the sight of her staring up at the stars, face pale in their light, brown eyes full of dread.

"Yes," she whispered, then glanced over at him "You too?" she asked.

Natsu nodded, brow furrowing as their eyes met. For all that the idea of change was kinda scary, the terror on Lucy's face surprised him.

"It feels kind of like I lost a piece of myself," he said slowly, and she nodded her agreement "But at the same time, not really, because I know exactly where it went," Natsu explained, looking at her meaningfully "And I can feel the little piece of you I got in return," he added, one hand going to his chest as he spoke.

"It feels like your magic is changing me into something I don't want to be," Lucy confessed worriedly as she pulled her gaze from his and looked to the starscape above them, as though seeking reassurance in their familiar presence.

Natsu went very still at her words, though, in her distraction, Lucy did not notice.

She didn't like what his magic was doing to her. The thought made the man's heart go cold and filled him with an inexplicable sadness. Did that mean that she didn't want to be like him? Did she...did she look _down_ on him, despite his strength and skill in a fight? Sure, he wasn't as smart as her, or as well read, or even so well liked wherever they went. People loved Lucy, after all. Natsu was just the monster that came in and wrecked the place.

While he missed his magic, having Lucy's in it's place was eye opening, and he felt like he could understand his friend a little better than before by having it. Apparently, she didn't feel the same. Or maybe she did, but didn't like what she had learned...

Pulling his arm out from around her, Natsu retreated from Lucy, pushing himself into a seated position as she blinked up at him in surprise.

"Natsu?" she asked, worried by the oddly strained, unhappy cast to his face "Are you alright?"

The dragon slayer flinched at her words, and looked down at her with dark, unreadable eyes"You're afraid my magic is going to make you like _me_ , aren't you?" he asked finally, voice hurt and shoulders tense. Internally, he felt sick, and angry, though he wasn't quite sure at who. Lucy, for not understanding? Or maybe himself, for reasons he didn't care to examine too closely.

"What?" she asked, taken aback by his words "Natsu, _no_ , that's not what I mean at all!" Lucy insisted fiercely as she pushed herself upright as well.

"Well, what then?" he asked, heart aching in it's need to believe her.

Sensing the fragility of the situation in the way he watched her, and how the man's body seemed to curl in on itself in some unspoken need to protect him from something (from _her_?), Lucy reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand.

"Natsu, I'm not afraid that your magic is going to make me more like you," she confessed quietly as she tilted her head to catch his eyes with her own "I am terrified out of my mind that having so much power is going to make me anything _but_ like you."

"What?" he asked, confused, though the tightness in his chest loosened somewhat when she reached out to him "I don't understand," he admitted reluctantly, still frowning, even as his heart beat picked up when she brushed the pad of her thumb across his cheek.

Lucy released her hold on him and turned away, her own shoulders sagging as she knotted her fingers in her lap and said "For all that you can be a bit dense sometimes, Natsu, you are..."

For a long moment, as the girl next to him searched for the words she needed, it felt to the dragon slayer as though the world outside of the two of them simply stopped existing. His chest ached, and his limbs felt unaccountably weak as the silence between them filled an eternity. Nothing else mattered so much right now as what she would say next.

"You are the strongest person I know," she finished, blushing as she continued "And not just...not just your magic, either. I mean _you_ ; your heart, your soul..."

Natsu felt his heart leap up into his throat at her words, and it stopped all together when she turned her brown eyes to him once more, looking up at him shyly from under long, dark lashes.

"Y-you're reckless, and frankly, kind of crazy," she added, with a weak, trembling laugh "But you care more deeply for your friends and family than any other person I have ever met. You always stand up for what's right, whatever the odds, and you inspire the people around you to do the same," Lucy said, fingers twisting together anxiously in her lap as she pushed on, words pouring out in a tumble "Somehow, gods only know how, you manage to be that way in spite of this magic acting as a constant temptation to take the easy way out. I read somewhere once that 'absolute power corrupts absolutely'...but somehow, you manage to be an exception to that rule."

As Lucy turned her eyes down to her hands, Natsu found himself breathless, head spinning at her words, which were so completely different from what he'd expected to hear a moment before. The way she spoke about him like he was some...some paragon of goodness, instead of the headstrong idiot everyone normally accused him of being, completely floored him.

Was this how she really felt?

Awed by the very concept, Natsu felt as though he could jump over the moon when Lucy unexpectedly reached out and placed her hand on his as she spoke once more, watching as his fingers intertwined automatically with hers "So, no, I'm not afraid of being like you. I'm scared out of my wits that I'm not strong enough to use your magic and still be as kind, and loving, as you are every day," she whispered.

Daring to look up at him, Lucy searched Natsu's face for some indication of how her words had affected him, praying that he didn't still believe she thought poorly of him. Even if he laughed in the face of her sincerity...anything would be better than having him believe she thought him the monster she had felt like the day before.

"Lucy," he murmured breathlessly, heart pounding and suddenly feeling overwhelmed as a relieved smile tugged at the corner of his friend's mouth in response.

Without thinking, Natsu closed the distance between them, and captured her lips with his own, his eyes closing as he relished the warmth and softness of her. Though he could no longer smell that indefinable sweetness that was uniquely Lucy's since losing his magic, Natsu was elated to rediscover it in her supple lips. He could _taste_ it there...and he wanted more.

A second later, though, rational thought crashed back in, like a brick through a stained-glass window. The man's eyes flew open in alarm as he realized just what he had done, and he pulled away hastily, blushing violently.

"I-" he began, but found himself completely at a loss for words as Lucy stared at him, utterly shocked by the gesture.

Shit!

What had he done? What had happened to the plan? What had happened to following her list and figuring out if she even remotely liked him that way? Oh he had fucked up. He'd fucked up _bad_...

Panic setting in, the dragon slayer moved to flee, only to be stopped by Lucy's hold on his hand, which had not loosened since he'd crashed headlong over the line that divided friendship from something more.

Unwilling to yank his hand free of hers and risk hurting her, however panicked he was feeling at the moment, Natsu sat stock still on the blanket, as though afraid any motion on his part might set her off. He watched with a sort of morbid fascination as the fingers of Lucy's other hand went disbelievingly to her lips, resting there for a moment before dropping away again.

Something in her eyes changed in that moment, and Natsu found himself squeezing his own shut when she reached out to him, waiting to feel the sharp smack of her palm across his cheek for his impudence. Unexpectedly, he felt her fingers twine through the fine hair at the nape of his neck, and then pull him towards her instead.

Natsu's eyes flashed open in shock when their lips met for a second time, taking in the blissful expression on her face as Lucy gently moved her lips against his, making his heart stop at the sensation. He'd later swear that it didn't start back up again until she pulled away and opened her eyes once more, looking up at him with a shy smile on her lips.

They were even more kissable than he'd imagined.

Not quite believing his luck, and not entirely convinced that he hadn't fallen asleep stargazing and was now dreaming, Natsu leaned in once more. Slowly this time, giving Lucy time to pull away if she chose, though she did not.

The kiss was soft and hesitant at first, and Natsu was suddenly distinctly aware of the fact that he had absolutely _no_ idea what he was doing. Still, if there was anything he was good at, it was learning on the fly, so the dragon slayer followed Lucy's lead, moving his lips gently against hers. He was a little startled when he felt her tongue slide past his lips and briefly graze his teeth, drawing a small, embarrassing moan from him. The dragon slayer could feel her smile against his lips, and he knew he was probably putting any blushing she might be doing to shame.

When she did it a second time a moment later, Natsu reacted instinctively and opened his mouth, pulse pounding in his ears as he felt her tongue slip in and glide enticingly against his own.

There was, the dragon slayer was beginning to realize, a lot more to kissing than he'd thought.

Losing himself in the moment, Natsu relished the taste of her, gaining confidence the longer the kiss went on. Reaching out, he pulled her in closer until she was half sprawled across his lap, her soft gasp of surprise giving him the opportunity to explore her mouth. His tongue fought briefly with hers for dominance before she submitted and tilted her head back, allowing him better access as he wrapped his arms tightly around her.

In that moment, Natsu's senses were completely overwhelmed by her presence in his arms. The heat of her body pressed desperately against his as her fingers ran restlessly through his hair and down his back was incredible. And oh gods, the things she was doing with her tongue, and the way she nipped breathlessly at his lower lip between kisses were threatening to drive him mad.

Groaning almost desperately, the dragon slayer lowered them both to the blanket, his arm pillowing her head as he leaned over her to capture her lips once more. Lucy hooked one leg over his, and used it to pull him in so he was half on top of her as the blonde slipped her hands under his vest and ran them up the length of his chest.

Shuddering blissfully at the feel of her heated palms on his bare skin, Natsu slid his hand up her thigh to her hip, thumb teasing the bare flesh peeking out between the border of her pants and her shirt. The girl's top had ridden up at some point, leaving a tantalizing swath of bare skin exposed and begging to be explored.

Heart racing, and completely breathless, the dragon slayer was finally forced to come up for air "Lucy," he moaned quietly as he trailed his lips down the line of her throat, nipping at her collarbone and lathing it gently with his tongue when she gasped "Lucy what are you doing to me?"

"M-me?" the blonde panted, chest heaving impressively, a dazed look in her half-lidded eyes as Natsu's lips lingered distractingly just above the swell of her breasts "You started it," she mumbled, and bit down on her lower lip as his teeth grazed her neck, making her drag her nails down the length of his back convulsively.

Natsu inhaled sharply at the sensation, his back curling in response as he lifted his head from Lucy's shoulder, eyes closed as he savored the feeling. The girl beneath him saw her opening and lifted her head to place a kiss at the corner of the dragon slayer's jaw before moving up to his ear, where she teased the lobe with her lips a moment before nibbling it lightly. The tremor that raced down the length of his body made Lucy smile to herself before she moved to catch his lips again.

At the last second, though, the man turned so she missed, but allowed her lips to linger a moment at the corner of his mouth. She pulled away and pouted in disappointment at him, laying back against the blankets so she could get a better look at her friend.

Natsu regarded her with heavily lidded eyes, his cheeks flushed as he fought to catch his breath. His tongue flicked out to run across his lips, and he seemed dazed, though a blissful smile was quickly spreading over his features.

Ducking his head, suddenly shy, Natsu murmured "Lucy, I-" his words trailing off as he shifted to the side so he was no longer half on top of her. The girl found herself missing the contact already, but one glance at the vulnerable look in his eyes told her that he had something he needed to get off his chest. If she said something now, she had a feeling he might be scared off.

So, instead, she watched, and waited with bated breath, one hand straying to intertwine with his when he continued to hesitate. He smiled helplessly and said "I was wondering..."

"Yes?" she prompted gently when he broke off again, her heart pounding in her chest as she tried to play it cool when he gazed down at her intently, a nervous energy running through his lean frame as he ran his free hand restlessly through his hair.

Was he really about to do this, Natsu wondered as he met Lucy's warm brown eyes, her full, kiss swollen lips ruddy from their activities. So much for his grand plan of using the girl's information against her. It wasn't as though he could go back to it now, though. He'd already _kissed_ her for goodness sake! There was no explaining that one away.

On the positive side, she certainly hadn't objected. In fact, she'd definitely seemed...enthusiastic. You didn't get a much clearer sign than that, right? Still, what if she just liked kissing in general, not kissing _him_ specifically? Maybe just any guy would do...

Pushing those self doubting (and frankly uncharitable) thoughts out of his mind altogether, Natsu took a deep breath and asked:

"I...do you... _would_ you, er," the dragon slayer stammered nervously, flushing bright red when Lucy's cheeks colored as well, eyes widening as she no doubt realized what he was trying to ask. Wanting to at least get the question all the way out before she could answer, he asked "Would you be my girlfriend?" the words pouring out in such a rush that he felt it'd be a miracle if she in any way understood what he'd just said. As an afterthought, the dragon slayer added "Um...please?"

Lucy stared up at him, wide-eyed, for such a long moment that Natsu found himself dreading her response. He wasn't entirely sure how to react when she unexpectedly broke out into a fit of giggles, clapping her hands over her mouth in an attempt to stifle them.

"O-oi, I'm being serious!" Natsu said, frowning and blushing redder yet.

"I know! I'm sorry!" Lucy gasped, grinning up at him from where she lay as she lowered her hands "It's just...did you know that you are _super_ cute when you're embarrassed?"

"You!" he choked and pushed himself up into a seated position "Will you just answer already?!" he demanded, throwing his hands in the air as she laughed again.

"Natsu, you idiot," the girl said with such fondness in her voice that the actual words she'd used took a moment to register. Before he could complain again, though, she sat up and threw herself at him.

Tackling him to the ground once more, Lucy kissed him with such enthusiasm that the dragon slayer had a hard time keeping up, and could only stare up at her with a dazed expression on his face as he asked hopefully "Is that a yes?"

Grinning, Lucy nodded emphatically, and Natsu felt his heart skip a beat "You're sure?" he asked, almost disbelieving her answer.

The blonde threw her head back and laughed before answering "Positive."

The dragon slayer stared up at her for a long moment, his arms wrapped tightly around her waist as he searched her features for any sign that she might just be teasing him. Not finding any, his face split into a vibrant grin. Suddenly full of energy, Natsu kept his hold on the girl as he rolled over and somehow managed to drag the both of them to their feet in one fell swoop.

"Lucy's my girlfriend!" he crowed triumphantly, loud and clear into the night as he spun the woman in question about wildly, startling a laugh out of her. She threw her arms around his neck to keep him from dropping her as they spun so quickly that they nearly toppled to the ground again.

"Careful!" she cried, and the man stumbled to a stop, both of their heads spinning from the rush, and both of them grinning like maniacs.

Feeling brave once more, Natsu leaned in to steal a kiss, which Lucy happily allowed. When they came up for air, he gently rested his forehead against hers and stared into her eyes.

"I can't stop smiling," he admitted with a grin.

"Me neither," she murmured, heart racing as she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder, only to be met with the the thunderous beat of her boyfriend's heart. It was so quick, it was as though he had just come from running a marathon.

"Your heart's pounding," she observed thoughtfully, shifting so her ear was pressed to his chest, allowing her to listen more closely.

"Yeah, you make it do that a lot," Natsu admitted, amazed and grateful that she was only just now noticing it for the first time. Absently, he reached up with one hand and stroked her long hair affectionately, relishing the freedom he now possessed to do so.

Unable to repress a smile at his words, Lucy planted a little kiss just above his heart, swearing that she heard it skip a beat as she did.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HOLY CRAP it's been a super long time since I last wrote a kissing scene! Like, seriously o_O I mean, I RP in forums and what not, so I've done some scenes there, but nothing solo in a crazy long time...hopefully my technique isn't too rusty and you guys enjoyed anyways, haha.
> 
> The point in the story at which Natsu and Lucy would admit (to one another) that they had feelings for each other is something that had jumped around a few times in the planning stages. When I first had the story idea, I was intending for it to happen at the very end, but that idea got scrapped pretty quickly once I actually got writing. It's moved a few times since then, but as soon as I came up with the idea of Lucy showing Natsu the stars, I just knew it had to be then ^_^
> 
> Speaking of the stars, obviously that's a completely non-canon ability I decided to give Lucy, but I hope you'll indulge me in it, lol. It was just an idea I had one night and I decided to run with it.
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! This chapter definitely has me feeling a little self-conscious, so let me know what you think! That and my muse requires your feedback to keep her interest in this project, so do us both a favor and take a moment to drop a comment? ;D


	19. Like Wildfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a reminder, guys: If you're gonna ask me questions in your review of the chapter, make sure you log in, otherwise I can't respond! XD I don't like padding the length of a chapter with review responses, so please do log in if you would like an actual answer. That, or check out the One Wish tumblr blog (one-wish-fanfic) and drop an ask with your question there!
> 
> MORE IMPORTANTLY, THOUGH, I will be scaling back to posting chapters ONCE a week, instead of twice for awhile. Things have been kind of hectic lately, so getting out two chapters a week has been a struggle (mostly thanks to me increasing my hours at work). Don't worry, though, I guarantee I'll still be posting at least once a week until this story is done! If I'm able to get extra chapters done on particularly productive days, then I'll pop in the occasional second update in a week as well ^_^ For now, though, updates will be guaranteed on Tuesdays only.

Happy was suspicious.

Lucy and Natsu were acting like a couple of drunk idiots over the breakfast table, and it wasn't even nine o'clock in the morning yet. The goofy smiles on their faces, the blushing every time they happened to brush past one another in the kitchen, and the subtle ways they reached for one another when they thought he wasn't looking...it was all highly suspect.

Combine that with the fact that they had both returned from star gazing quite late the night previous with much whispering, giggling, and over-dramatic shushing, and you got something extremely fishy.

"So," Happy said as he finished off the last of his breakfast while his two human partners worked slowly on their pancakes. They'd probably get a lot more eating done if they'd stop holding hands under the table and pay attention to what they were doing with their forks. He was pretty sure Natsu had just poked himself in the nose "How was stargazing after I left? You guys got in pretty late," he observed innocently.

All the exceed's suspicions were confirmed when both of them glanced up at him, wide-eyed and blushing fiercely as each stammered out an answer.

"O-oh, you know, just...taught Natsu some more about the stars," Lucy said, casting a glance at Natsu that seemed to ask 'what do we do' with an expressive raise of her eyebrows. Worse, she seemed on the verge of having her face burst into flames again.

"Yeah!" the dragon slayer agreed hurriedly, his own brow furrowing as he caught the girl's look. He shrugged in return before turning his attention to Happy and said "And we, uh...we talked."

"About what?" Happy asked, smile all naive interest, though there was a certain keenness that told Natsu he'd better just come out with it already, or be prepared to be pestered relentlessly in the most innocent way possible until he did.

His face almost matching his hair color, Natsu finally admitted "About, uh, us?" he said, glancing at at the woman in question, who nodded shyly, as though giving her permission "I...asked Lucy to be my girlfriend."

Though he'd halfway expected as much, Happy's mouth still formed a little 'o' of surprise when his friend came right out and said it.

"And she said yes?" the exceed asked, glancing wide-eyed between the two of them, Natsu taking offense at the tone of surprise in his voice.

"Hey! You don't have to act so shocked!" he groused as Lucy laughed and squeezed his hand affectionately.

"Obviously I said yes," Lucy said with a sunny smile at Happy, who leaped up from his spot and threw himself at Natsu, latching onto the man's face.

"N-Natsu! I'm so happy for you!" the exceed exclaimed tearfully, nuzzling his best friend's cheek with his own enthusiastically, even as the dragon slayer tugged gently at him in an attempt to get some air.

"Happy! He' can't breath!" the blonde exclaimed laughingly before reaching out and gently removing him from her boyfriend's face.

The cat squirmed in her hands and then proceeded to throw himself at her as well, though he aimed for the chest this time, rather than the face.

"You two are so dumb!" Happy sobbed, well, happily "I was afraid you'd _never_ get together!"

"O-oi..." the dragon slayer objected half-heartedly as he rubbed his ears where his friend grabbed them for purchase.

Lucy rolled her eyes and pet the exceed indulgently "Don't push your luck, cat," she teased, poking his cheeks with her fingers until Happy shook her off and dropped back to the table.

"Oh all right then," Happy huffed, tail twitching in disappointment at the teasing ban. He decided to have mercy on them for the time being, though, and changed the subject "So what are we doing today?"

"Training," Natsu answered immediately, making Lucy grimace into her mug of coffee before a thought occurred to her.

"Actually, I need to go by my apartment today and see how construction is going," she admitted, noting the way Natsu's dark eyes flickered up to her. The subtle shift of his eyebrows was all the woman needed to see before knowing he was about to object "I _need_ to, Natsu. I still have to pay the workers and make sure they're actually going to have it done before my land lady gets back," she smiled and nudged his leg with her own under the table "It won't take more than a few minutes."

The dragon slayer grumbled over the idea as he continued to eat, but by the time they were washing their dishes after breakfast, Lucy had managed to talk him around.

"Oh alright, if you insist," he said, throwing his arms in the air as he finally surrendered.

The former celestial mage smiled broadly at him, and Natsu found himself unable to remain annoyed that she had managed to win in the end. Again. In the back of his mind, he hoped that him giving up at the drop of a hat whenever his girlfriend asked him for something wasn't going to become the norm. On the other hand, most of his attention was absorbed by the way her eyes lit up when she looked at him, and the distracting curve of her lips.

Without thinking, Natsu gently took the plate Lucy had been washing from her hands and set it aside as he leaned in and kissed her. He could feel the blonde go rigid with surprise at the suddenness of the gesture, but she quickly relaxed once more and leaned into the kiss with a happy sigh.

Lucy had just slipped her arms around his neck, and Natsu shifted so his body pressed flush against hers as he backed her into the counter, when the sound of quiet snickering reached both their ears.

"Natsu and Lucy, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S-" Happy began to sing delightedly, flitting here and there about the kitchen with a broad grin on his blue face. His tune was cut off suddenly, though, when Natsu snatched up a dish towel and winged it at him.

"Don't you start!" the dragon slayer ordered, blushing fiercely as the towel caught Happy in the face and made him swerve out of control.

"Gah! I can't see!" the exceed yelped before smacking into a wall. Dropping to the floor, Happy sniffled and dragged the offending cloth from his head and said "Lucy! Natsu's being mean!"

"Nuh-uh, you brought that one on yourself," Lucy laughed, a blush still coloring her cheeks as she turned back to the sink and finished washing the last of the dishes "Now bring that towel over here and dry these for me so we can leave."

* * *

"I can't believe her!" Lucy exclaimed as she approached Natsu, startling him from his inspection of her apartment.

"Can't believe who?" Happy asked, blinking in surprise at the blonde's flustered appearance as the last of the workmen trudged out past them.

Natsu watched them go from where he sat on the edge of the bed, previously staring up at the perfectly repaired ceiling "Something happen?" he asked.

"It's Erza!" Lucy cried, throwing her hands in the air "She...she already paid for all the repairs to the hole in the ceiling _and_ all the other damage!" the blonde exclaimed, waving a hand broadly at the room, which had, indeed, been returned to it's previously unmarred state. If anything, it seemed to be in even better repair than prior to the ambush, seeing as all of her friends' penchant for training in the middle of her living room had inevitably left it's mark.

"So what's the problem? Now you don't have to worry about working again too soon, right?" Natsu pointed out, blinking up at his girlfriend, confused as to what the issue was.

"Hmm, I wonder if she felt guilty," Happy remarked, more to himself than his friends as he stood on the bed by the dragon slayer and looked around thoughtfully.

"What?" Lucy asked, brow furrowed in confusion until the meaning behind his words sank in and a look of horror spread over her lovely features "You think this is because of the other day? She's blaming herself for what happened with training so she paid for the repairs?"

Natsu tugged at his lower lip thoughtfully as he rolled the idea around, then shrugged "Maybe. I could see Erza doing that," he said, inwardly annoyed at himself for not having thought to do the same, or at least chip in to help. After all, he spent loads of time at Lucy's house, he might as well help pay to get it fixed...that was a thing boyfriend's did, right?

"I-I can't let her do that!" Lucy objected, dragging her hands down her face. Sure, things had gotten out of control but she certainly didn't _blame_ Erzafor it, even if it had been her idea. She'd only meant well, and if anything, it was Lucy's fault for not being strong enough...

Shaking herself before her mind could wander down that dark path once more, the blonde frowned determinedly and said "I've got to go talk to her," before marching right out the door and slamming it shut behind her.

Natsu and Happy both blinked in surprise, completely left behind by their friend in her hurry to rectify things with the requip mage. A moment later, a laugh escaped the dragon slayer and he pushed himself to his feet.

"Come on, we'd better catch up."

"Yeah," Happy agreed with a rueful smile and shake of his head.

The dragon slayer glanced briefly out the window as he passed it to see that his girlfriend was already some ways down the road.

"Geeze," he huffed in amusement and headed for the door, Happy in his wake.

As they stepped out onto the street, and started out after their friend at a slightly more relaxed pace, Happy asked "So, where are you taking Lucy for your first date?"

The dragon slayer stumbled at the unexpected question, and stared up at the exceed, who was looking at him expectantly. Date? Oh right, boyfriends and girlfriends did that, didn't they. Or was it just people who were undecided on if they were boyfriend and girlfriend yet, like a sort of trial run? Honestly, he hadn't even really given it any thought...

"You have no idea, do you?" his friend drawled, a wry smile flitting across his blue features "You didn't even think about it, I bet."

"Shut up," the rose haired mage grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest and looking anywhere but at Happy.

Still, the cat had a point. Just what the hell was he supposed to do on a date with Lucy? What did normal people do on dates? Going on a job would probably _not_ be what the girl wanted, and it wasn't like they didn't already eat dinner together all the time. Going out to eat was something couples did, though, right?

Watching the frown on Natsu's face get more and more pronounced as they walked, Happy finally took pity on his friend and suggested "You could always ask Loke. He's got plenty of experience with dating girls, right?"

"Like hell!" the dragon slayer immediately objected, feeling irked at the mere thought.

Happy rolled his eyes and tried again "Well, maybe try asking around the guild? I'm sure at least _some_ of the guys have been on dates..." another thought occurred to the exceed, though, and he added "Or! What if you tried asking some of the girls where _they'd_ like to go on dates?"

Natsu's expression lightened considerably as hope returned to his features "Happy, you're a genius!" he crowed "I bet Lucy's even told some of them the kind of date she'd want to go on! Girls talk about that kind of junk all the time, right?" he said enthusiastically.

"Aye!" the exceed agreed brightly before looking around for the blonde in question "Er, where _is_ Lucy anyways?"

"Aw man, come on!" Natsu said, breaking into a jog when he realized their pace had slowed at some point during their conversation, and Lucy had long since left them in the dust in her rush to get to the guild.

"I think I'm starting to get why she's always telling you not to run everywhere," Happy said, laughing as he glided along beside his friend, who just grimaced and kept moving.

* * *

When Lucy burst into the guild a few minutes later, she startled several of her guildmates standing nearby, but paid their chiding no mind as she scanned the room for Erza.

Not spotting her immediately, the blonde searched the various out of the way areas of the guild, including the pool, but to no avail. Still frowning, she stopped and asked several of her friends if they had seen the requip mage, but came up empty there as well.

"Any luck?" Natsu asked from behind her, making her jump in surprise, then smile ruefully up at him.

"No, everyone says they saw her earlier, but no one seems to know where she is now," she admitted.

"Maybe she saw you coming and made a run for it, Lucy," Happy teased.

"Well she can't run forever!" the woman said fiercely. Her attention was diverted from her search a moment later, though, when she lay eyes on a familiar head of blue hair.

"What's wrong?" Natsu asked, noting the shift in her mood from indignant to concerned. He looked around and spotted what she had, though didn't understand her expression "Something wrong with Levy?"

"I didn't think she'd be here, is all," Lucy said, brow furrowed as she made a beeline for her friend, leaving Natsu and Happy to follow after once more.

The blonde settled herself at the table the solid script mage had commandeered for her work, and surveyed the vast collection of books scattered here and there across the surface. Once again, the blue haired girl was working so fervently that she didn't even notice her friend sit down, or when Natsu and Happy joined her.

"Hey Levy," Lucy said to catch her friend's attention.

The solid script mage blinked owlishly up at the blonde and her companions "Oh, hey guys," she said with a smile as she pushed her glasses up to the top of her head and put down her pen "How are you? Make any progress on those translations, Lucy?"

"Yeah, but I didn't think you were going to be here today or I would have brought them for you," Lucy said with a worriedly as she leaned in a little closer and asked in a lowered voice "Is everything alright? Weren't you...you know, going out on a job today? With Gajeel?"

Natsu didn't so much as blink at this news as he turned his attention to one of Levy's books, lifting it so he could read the cover, only to find it was written in an unfamiliar language. So, Lucy had been matchmaking as well, had she? A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it quickly dropped when he heard Levy's disappointed sigh in response to his girlfriend's question.

"Yeah, well..." the solid script mage remarked non-comittaly as she idly flipped through the notes she had been taking, looking anywhere but at her friends.

"Don't tell me the idiot actually turned you _down_ ," Natsu asked, disbelieving that could possibly be the case after their talk the other day. The iron dragon slayer wouldn't have chickened out, would he? The man might be an annoying pain in the ass, but coward he was not.

"N-no!" Levy rushed to reassure them, offering a weak smile when she observed their worried and confused expressions "I didn't even get a chance to ask him, actually."

"Well what is it, then? I mean, even you have to pay rent, right Levy?" Happy pointed out, blinking up at her, wide-eyed from where he perched on the table between Lucy and Natsu.

"About that..." the solid script mage said hesitantly before she collected herself and finally admitted "Master came to me yesterday evening and asked me to keep working on your spell. Apparently he's decided to make it a top priority, because he's even paying me for my work out of guild funds."

"What, seriously?" Lucy asked, surprised by this revelation.

Natsu, on the other hand, frowned as his initial look of surprise faded, and the conversation he'd over heard in Gramps' office the day before came immediately to mind. They'd been talking about a knife, and he'd hazard a guess that the blade they were referring to was the one that had nearly been used on Lucy by her attackers. Did that have something to do with Makarov stepping up the effort to get him and Lucy back to normal? If the old man had really spoken to Levy yesterday evening, then maybe he had had some news that spurred him to draft the solid script mage to work full time.

"Hey."

Lucy's gentle voice called him out of his thoughts as she slipped her hand into his under the table, and intertwined their fingers "Yeah?" he said, giving himself a mental shake as he looked around and noticed that all three of his friends were looking at him with varying levels of concern. Levy mostly seemed thoughtful as she glanced between him and Lucy, one eyebrow slowly creeping up towards her hairline.

"You looked miles away," Lucy mused, a small smile tugging at her lips as she regarded him.

"I was just thinking," he said with a shrug, though he started scowling almost immediately at the look the other three at the table shared at his words "What?" he demanded.

"Natsu thinking...how scary! No wonder he looked so upset!" Happy teased with mock horror.

The girls giggled and the dragon slayer got to his feet "Oh shut up! A guy can't even think once and awhile without getting teased around here?"

"I think it's the once in a while that makes it funny," Levy noted with a chuckle as the man grumbled and walked off, giving the nearest chair a half-hearted kick on his way.

"Hey, where are you going?" Lucy called after him.

"Bathroom," he answered shortly.

The woman rolled her eyes but let him go, a fond smile settling across her features as she watched him. She knew full well that he'd forget the whole thing as soon as something distracted him, so she didn't worry overmuch.

"I'm gonna go get something to drink," Happy announced as he spotted Mirajane behind the bar "You guys want anything?"

"No thanks, Happy," Levy answered with a smile.

"You go ahead," Lucy said with a wave of her hand as the cat fluttered off towards the bar. She watched him go, smiling absently after her little blue friend, even as she, in turn, was watched. When the blonde turned back towards Levy to find the solid script mage staring at her, one hand went automatically to her cheek as she asked "Er, something on my face?"

"Noooo," Levy said slowly, eyes narrowing thoughtfully, making the woman across from her raise both her eyebrows. Looking first to one side, and then other other to make sure no one else was listening in, the blue haired girl leaned in and whispered "Just wondering when you started holding hands with Natsu Dragneel under the table!"

Lucy, who had leaned in to better hear her friend, blanched and stammered "W-what! I was not!"

Levy rolled her eyes "Oh don't you lie to me! Look at you, you're blushing! Spill!"

"I-! Um, well..." Lucy was, indeed, blushing as she looked everywhere but at her friend's suspicious countenance. As she stared at the rafters, though, the former celestial mage wondered just why she was trying to hide her new relationship status from one of her best friends. After all, it wasn't like it was a _secret_ or anything. She and Natsu didn't have anything to hide, and they hadn't done anything shameful by admitting they had feelings for one another.

In the end, Lucy realized she was just reflexively trying to hide from the inevitable teasing they would both have to undergo at the hands of their friends and guildmates. Not that they would be mean spirited about it, they meant well, and would be supportive of the both of them, she was sure...but that didn't mean that there weren't going to be a great deal of 'I-told-you-sos' and bets tallied and paid out. The Fairy Tail betting pool was legend, after all.

"WHAT?!"

An astonished shriek from the bar distracted both girls and had them looking around in alarm, wondering what could possibly make the ever composed Mirajane yelp so.

From the looks of things, Happy was sitting at the bar with a cup of something or other between his paws, carefully holding it to one side as Mira loomed over him from across the bar. Lucy watched as the silver haired mage looked up and around the room, blue eyes searching for someone in particular...

When their eyes met, and an absurd grin spread across the older mage's features, though, Lucy knew precisely what it was Happy had told her to get such a reaction.

"Oh _Happy_ ," the celestial spirit mage groaned, burying her face in her hands as Mirajane darted around the bar and headed straight towards her and Levy. The blue haired mage watched in wide-eyed surprise as the other woman approached at an alarming pace and slammed her hands on their table, making the books jump and Lucy look up at her reluctantly.

"Mira!" Levy objected, throwing her arms out over her books to keep them from snapping shut and losing her place.

The girl's objection was ignored, though, as the S-class mage demanded "Lucy, is it true?!"

"Is what true?" the blonde asked, knowing full well just what it was her older friend wanted to know. Still, if she was going to run around demanding things like that, then Lucy wasn't going to play along!

"You know just what I mean!" Mira cried "Are you and Natsu really going steady?!" she demanded, grabbing Lucy by the shoulders and shaking her in her need to get solid answers.

Lucy tried to resist answering, but she didn't last long as the shaking intensified, making her nauseous. Curse Natsu's selectively weak stomach!

"Yes! Yes it's true!" she finally admitted aloud, allowing her head to drop to the table and smack into an open book of runes when Mirajane abruptly released her.

Mira, meanwhile, let out a cry of delight and did a little dance, while Levy stared at her friend, utterly shocked by the news.

"Ooh I knew it! I just knew it! From day one when you walked in here with Natsu, Lucy, I just _knew_ the two of you would wind up together!" Mirajane exclaimed happily, blue eyes wide and starry as she stared off into the middle distance, hands clasped just below her chin. Though she was no psychic, Lucy could practically _see_ the mental images playing out in the woman's imagination: elaborate dates, a romantic proposal followed by a grand wedding, and most importantly, lots of adorable pink and blonde headed babies...

"Mira stop!" Lucy cried, clutching her face in her hands as she sat upright, though the woman hadn't actually said anything "Natsu only just asked me out last night! We haven't even been on a date yet!"

The S-class mage pouted down at her younger friend, hands dropping to her sides as she said "What, a girl can dream, can't she?"

"Well sure, but normally she dreams about her own relationship, not someone else's!" Lucy countered, smiling with exasperated fondness up at her friend.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" Levy said, finally regaining her mind and voice enough to chastise her friend.

"I was working up to it, I promise," Lucy told the solid script mage with a tired smile as she reached out and patted her hand reassuringly "You were going to be the first person I told."

"Except Happy," Levy pointed out, a little miffed, but mostly teasing.

The former celestial mage just rolled her eyes and said "Levy, I'm living with them, it's kind of inevitable that he'd notice."

The blonde almost immediately regretted her wording, though, as both Levy and Mirajane's eyebrows shot up and they shared a scandalized, but thoroughly thrilled look.

"I can't believe it!" Mira cried.

"Well, he _does_ sleep over at her place an awful lot, I guess it's not that strange that they moved so quickly..." Levy observed aloud.

"Oh, that's true," the older mage agreed with an impish smile "Still, who would have thought our sweet little Lucy would be so bold..."

"True! I never would have guessed!"

"What?" Lucy cried, horrified by their implications, the severity of her blush deepening into shades that would make a rose jealous. All of Mira's noise had drawn the attention of the mages around them, but Lucy's only drew more, and it wasn't long before word about she and Natsu's newly official couple status was spreading through the guild like wildfire.

Lucy, though, was too busy shouting at Levy and Mirajane, who both had smug, knowing grins on their faces as they looked at her "No! No no no no no! A thousand times NO, you guys! I can't believe you!" the blonde cried, jumping to her feet and stomping her objection. So intent was she on denying the fact that she'd slept with Natsu already, that she didn't even notice the flames spark dangerously around her foot.

Ever the consummate scholar, though, Levy immediately spotted the potential threat "Lucy, watch out!" she cried as the flames started to spark all around her distressed, blushing friend "We believe you, we believe you! Come on, of _course_ you didn't give it up on the first date! Anyone who knows you wouldn't doubt that in the least!" she insisted breathlessly as she hurriedly dragged all of the books to her side of the table before some errant ember could set the lot ablaze.

"Levy's right, Lucy dear, of course we believe you. We were only teasing," Mirajane told the blonde, smiling reassuringly at her "Forgive us? We were just so excited we got carried away," she admitted, rather abashed by her own behavior.

Getting herself under control once more, Lucy took a few deep breaths and gave her friends one more suspicious look before saying "Oh alright then."

* * *

Exiting the hall that lead back to the bathrooms, Natsu paused at the entrance to the main room when he saw the veritable mob that had surrounded the table he had left Lucy and Happy at minutes before. Blinking, he looked around and noticed the exceed watching with a smug little grin on his features from his seat at the bar.

Just as he was about to go ask his friend what was going on, though, someone cleared their throat pointedly, drawing the dragon slayer's attention.

Makarov was perched on an otherwise unoccupied table a little ways away, smoking one of his long pipes. The old man glanced meaningfully at him, a look Natsu knew meant to 'come here'. The rose haired mage hesitated, and Gramps cleared his throat again, raising an eyebrow at him in a way he knew he couldn't ignore. Sighing, Natsu reluctantly did as he was bid.

Pretending as though he'd been intending to go that way in any case, the dragon slayer crossed his arms over his chest and leaned casually against the table, dark eyes watching the crowd of mages as they surrounded his girlfriend. Before he could put any serious thought into just what was going on over there, though, the old man at his side spoke up.

"So, I hear some congratulations is in order, brat," Makarov rumbled, a smile tugging at his lips as he exhaled a plume of smoke, sending it curling idly through the air.

"Eh?" Natsu asked, glancing down at the old man with a confused frown on his face, the scent of tobacco and something distinctly spicy filling his nose as the smoke drifted between them.

"Word is that you finally worked up the nerve to ask Lucy out," Makarov clarified with a casual wave of his pipe towards the blonde in question, who was still blushing prettily, looking this way and that as she was bombarded with questions from all sides.

So _that_ was what everyone was freaking out about? A grin unconsciously spread across the dragon slayer's face as a spark of affection for his girlfriend flared to life in his chest. So, she'd actually come out and told everyone before he could? Frankly, he was impressed, even if one of their friends _had_ had a hand in the information coming out (which he had no doubt was the case). Though he hadn't actively thought it, some part of him had expected Lucy to want to keep their relationship a secret, however illogical it might be.

"Yeah," Natsu said, chest swelling with pride as he watched her.

The men were both quiet for a moment as they let the ruckus from the other side of the room sweep over them before Natsu finally broke the silence.

"So, what'd you find out about that knife?" he asked non-chalantly, making a point to not look at his master.

Makarov didn't so much as twitch when Natsu came right out an asked, and the dragon slayer wouldn't have been surprised to find out that the old man had known he'd been there at the door all along.

The mage took a long pull from his pipe, held the smoke in for a moment, and then exhaled it out through his nose before asking "What do you know about Telmare, boy?"

Wrong-footed by the odd question, Natsu blinked down at Makarov and said "Tel-who?"

Makarov rolled his eyes "Telmare, brat, the country to the North of us, across the sea."

Natsu's brow furrowed as he thought, the name ringing a vague bell. It came back to him a moment later, as he said "Lucy was talking about it the other day. Didn't the princess shoot down their king's marriage proposal or something?"

The old man snorted, but nodded "More or less, and I fully agree with her decision not to marry him. The man thinks he's a god. No good ever came of that."

"What?" Natsu asked "That's stupid, what would a god want with some puny kingdom?"

"Indeed," Makarov mused, clearly entertained by the dragon slayer's answer "To be fair, idiot boy was raised to believe it from birth. Their entire family has been for centuries. They believe the first born child of every generation becomes a living god when they take the throne. Claim it runs in their blood or something ridiculous like that."

"If I can beat a god slayer, you reckon that means I can beat a god?" Natsu asked with a wicked grin down at his master, who snorted and choked on the smoke he'd just inhaled.

"Now you're just being a smart ass," the old man wheezed, thumping his chest with a fist to clear his airways while Natsu laughed "Anyways," Makarov continued "Whether or not their king actually _is_ a god, the Telmaran people worship him like one."

"Really?" Natsu muttered, wrinkling his nose and sneering at the idea. He'd never given much thought to gods, but the idea of worshiping a man the way he knew some people worshiped the divine was a strange one. Not that he knew much about worship in the first place "So what's that got to do with the princess not marrying this guy?"

"Mmm, could be nothing at all," Makarov murmured absently, before adding "Could be, though, that that knife Lucy's attacker was using was of Telmaran make, and that Telmaran's are a very...zealous people."

Natsu glanced down at the old man sharply, the full weight of his attention on Makarov now "You're saying this god king or his followers sent ninjas after Lucy? Why?" he demanded, no longer leaning against the edge of the table, his shoulders tense as his hands balled into fists.

"Put your hackles down, boy, we've no way to prove that," Makarov said with a heavy sigh as he lowered his pipe and rubbed the back of his neck thoughtfully with his free hand.

"But you still _think-_ " Natsu began, only to be cut off by his master raising a hand to quiet him.

"We're looking into it, I promise."

" _We_ who?" the dragon slayer asked, eyes narrowed dangerously as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I'll tell you when you need knowing," Makarov replied, the tone of his voice warning the dragon slayer not to cross the line by demanding further information.

Natsu grit his teeth unhappily, nostrils flared as he huffed, everything about his body language screaming his displeasure. Still, for once, he backed down and didn't ask again. Both he _and_ Makarov were a little surprised by this, though neither commented on it. Perhaps not having his own magic made him some fraction less impatient than normal. Whatever it was, the old man was grateful that he wouldn't have to get into another shouting match with the slayer.

"You'd probably better go save her. They're gonna eat her alive at this rate," Makarov observed as they watched Juvia throw herself at Lucy, sobbing tremendous, soppy tears and burying her face in the blonde's ample chest, quickly soaking her shirt "Or you could always wait, too..."

Natsu's answer to this suggestion was to snatch the pipe out of the old man's hand and crack it sharply over the top of his head. As Makarov let out a yelp of pain, the dragon slayer stepped away and waded through the crowd towards his girlfriend.

"Juvia is...Juvia is just _so happy,_ " the water mage sobbed as Lucy patted her awkwardly on the back. When she caught sight of Natsu approaching her, a look of relief spread across her lovely features and she mouthed _'help me'_ at him from over Juvia's head.

"Oi, Juvia, get your face out of my girlfriend's boobs!" Natsu commanded, poking the woman in question in the side "I've got dibs!"

As Lucy sputtered incoherently, blushing fiercely once more, the water mage straightened, brushing fitfully at her tears as she replied "Oh, yes, of course! Please excuse Juvia, she was just so happy that she no longer has to worry about Lucy trying to steal her precious Gray!"

Reaching out, the pale woman took Natsu by the arm and pushed him towards Lucy so his face landed just where Juvia's had been only a moment before. He had to stoop quite a bit more to make it work, but it really was quite nice, and he said as much.

"Hey, no wonder Happy always throws himself at your chest instead of your face like he does me!" Natsu observed, smiling contentedly as he nuzzled against Lucy's (slightly damp) breasts "Oi, what's wrong?" he asked after glancing up at her and seeing the shade of red she had turned, even as their friends catcalled around them.

"G-get off, Natsu!" she cried, shoving him off of her abruptly and crossing her arms protectively over her chest.

"What?" he complained, face a moue of disappointment "You let Juvia and Happy do it!"

"That's different!" she exclaimed.

"Huh? Why?" Natsu asked, scratching his head in confusion. Boobs were boobs, right?

"Because they're my friends and you're my...well, my boyfriend," she tried to explain, looking anywhere but him as she fidgeted anxiously.

"Well, doesn't that mean I get preference or something?"

"I-" Lucy sighed and buried her face in her hands while Natsu blinked innocently at her.

"Hey, Natsu, lay off, would you?" Macao teased as he punched the younger man lightly on the shoulder "Ask her again later when you're alone, I bet she'll say yes then," he added with a sly wink.

"You think so?" the dragon slayer asked, brightening at the suggestion before looking at Lucy expectantly "Will you?"

"Maybe," the blonde squeaked, embarrassed again as another round of whistling and hooting erupted from their guildmates

Natsu grinned.

* * *

It took some time, but the couple was eventually able to drag themselves away from their friends when no one was looking, and made a run for it through the back door via the pool. Happy bought them some time by distracting the crowd with a dramatized version of how he had found out about the news earlier that morning.

Cana, Wendy, Carla, Gray, Elfman, and so many others had bombarded them with questions on when it had happened, who had kissed who first, and other far more intimate questions that Lucy wanted crawl under the nearest table and hide til it all blew over. She never had managed to find Erza, much to her annoyance. On the plus side, she most likely still didn't know about her and Natsu. _That_ was a conversation she just didn't feel up to today.

As they approached the house, hand-in-hand, Natsu gently bumped her shoulder with his and asked "Up for some training?"

Lucy paused, anxiety at the very thought threatening to well up within her. She took a deep breath, though, and pushed it aside. She'd almost hurt Natsu before, but she _wouldn't_ do it again. In order to make sure that didn't happen, that meant she had to practice.

"Yeah, okay," she said, doing her best to smile for the man at her side.

Reading the struggle on her face as easily as an open book, Natsu flashed her a grin, proud of her for pushing forward, despite her fears.

"Alright, we'll start with something easy, then. Go get changed into something you can run in," he instructed as he noted her current outfit; a white blouse with one of her favorite blue skirts, and a pair of strappy sandals. Cute, but not exactly practical for what he had in mind.

Lucy gave him a speculative look, wondering what he had planned for her, but went inside to do as asked. When she came back out a few minutes later, she was wearing a fitted t-shirt, the blessed (though slightly singed) yoga pants, and a pair of running shoes.

"So, what did you have in mind?" she asked curiously.

The dragon slayer ran his eyes up her figure, and nodded in satisfaction, glad that she was facing towards him, rather than away, to prevent him from getting distracted by her delightfully tight pants again. At her question, his face lit up in a grin and he answered "We're going to play hide and seek!"

Lucy stared at him for a long moment, wondering if she had misheard him "Excuse me?"

"Hide and seek," he repeated with a huff "Come on, didn't you ever play as a kid? _Everyone_ knows what hide and seek is, Lucy!"

"Of course I know what it is!" the woman said with an exasperated roll of her eyes "I just don't get what it has to do with training!"

Natsu's grin returned as he tapped his nose and said "Instead of training you in fighting today, we're going to train you on how to use your senses without losing it. So, I'm going to run and hide, and you have to track me down, got it?" he explained, clearly thrilled by his own idea.

His girlfriend watched him for a long moment before saying "Natsu, you don't have to take it easy on me, you know, I promise I can handle using magic..."

The dragon slayer wrinkled his nose and said "Luce, I'm not taking it easy on you. Knowing how to rely on your senses is really important. Being able to tell when something is coming can be life or death, you know?"

When she continued to regard him with suspicion, he continued "If you still feel up to it after this, _then_ we can do some magic, okay? But I'm not going to make this easy for you, you know," he warned with a wicked grin "You don't have to just find me, you've got to catch me too."

At his reassurance, Lucy's suspicion died down and she smiled "Alright, fine."

"Great! Okay, so cover your eyes and count to sixty. No cheating!" he told her strictly as she did as asked.

"What do you think I am, five?" Lucy huffed with some amusement before she started counting "One, two, three..."

The former celestial mage heard her boyfriend dash off across the field as soon as she started counting, quickly leaving her on her own. Frankly, she felt ridiculous standing outside the house with her hands over her eyes and counting aloud. She was just glad that Natsu and Happy's house was a good distance off the main road, so the likelihood of anyone seeing her was pretty slim.

As she neared the end of her counting, though, her smile grew wider and wider in anticipation. She hadn't played hide and seek in years, and even then, she'd only rarely had the opportunity as a child. She'd never had much in the way of friends, but sometimes the house staff would indulge her on their afternoon off. It had always been a great deal of fun.

"Fifty-eight, fifty-nine, sixty!" she finished "Ready or not, here I come!" Lucy called as she dropped her hands from her eyes. The blonde took a moment to get her bearings, testing the air cautiously with her nose to catch Natsu's scent. As soon as she had it, Lucy ran for the trees, a grin on her face.

The hunt was on!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and don't forget to drop a review if you enjoyed! I need them more than ever to help me keep writing with my busy schedule! I really love every one I get, you guys are amazing!
> 
> AS A REMINDER, after today I will only be updating on Tuesdays for awhile! Check out the author's note I left at the beginning of the chapter for reasons.


	20. Howl

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for being patient for this new chapter! As a show of gratitude, have an update a day early (well, a few hours at least haha)! I know it's a bummer going from two chapters a week, to only one, but it's definitely made my life a bit easier, lol. Plus, we're getting into some important chapters here, so having the extra time to really think plot points through and tinker with them as needed will only make the story better, I promise ^_^
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! They really help keep me inspired, and I love each and every one! Thanks again to those that left one last time that I was not able to reply to, I promise I read and appreciate every single one.

As Lucy entered the forest proper, she quickly lost Natsu's scent. Here, surrounded as she was by trees, flowers, birds, and other animals, his was promptly overwhelmed by the many.

Frowning, the woman stopped and looked around in an attempt to spot some clue that might tell her what direction her boyfriend had run off in. She crouched down and examined the underbrush optimistically, hoping for some sign that he had passed through the area. Unfortunately, she knew little, if not nothing, about tracking a person through the woods. So, though there were many broken branches, and much disturbed undergrowth all around her, it was impossible for her to tell if it had been caused by Natsu, or some forest creature.

Sighing, Lucy realized she hadn't even seen any foot prints since she'd entered the forest. With all the dead leaves from last fall still covering the ground beneath summer's greenery, there wasn't much for him to leave a clear footprint _in_. At least, not to her inexperienced eye.

Resigning herself to necessity, the woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath, cautiously opening her senses to allow her to better differentiate between the many scents that surrounded her.

Lucy delicately sniffed the air, catching the aroma of decaying leaves, the sharp tang of pine, and the sweetness of the little white flowers at her feet. She tried again, deeper this time, expanding her senses until...there!

It was weak, but the gentle afternoon breeze carried the well known scent of smoke, basil, and other herbs to her, the unique and heady combination that belonged solely to Natsu. Smiling to herself, the woman turned and headed into the wind, the familiar smell becoming stronger until she realized she had finally picked up the rose haired man's trail.

Grinning, Lucy broke into a run, dashing headlong amongst the trees as she tracked her boyfriend through the underbrush. The longer she was at it, the easier she started to find maintaining the careful balance of her senses. Keen ears picked up the quiet sounds of animals going about their day in the woods around her, and sharp eyes focused in on little details that quickly became telltale signs of Natsu's passing. Sharpest of all, though, her nose was able to focus in on his scent, carefully brushing aside other smells in favor of this one in particular.

Heart pounding, adrenaline and the unexpected joy of the chase thrumming through her veins, Lucy was just getting the hang of tracking when Natsu threw her a curve ball.

The mage's trail hooked a sharp right, and then went straight through the center of a clearing. Lucy smiled smugly to herself at this foolish choice on his part. It'd be so much easier to track him through the long, thick bladed, purple tinged grass than through the more sparse undergrowth of the forest...

As the woman bounded headlong into the clearing, though, Lucy realized that she couldn't have been more wrong. An overwhelming, acrid stench accosted her poor nose and drove her to her knees, eyes watering as she clamped a hand over the lower half of her face in an attempt to block it out. Shutting down her heightened senses as hard as she could, Lucy hauled herself to her feet and tried to push onwards as the smell seemed to batter her from all sides.

The damage had already been done, though, and the blonde could feel her head spinning as the pungent aroma that emanated from the field around her only grew worse with every step she took. Simply bruising the knee high, fleshy stalks with her passing seemed to make them release even more of the distressing scent.

Coughing to the verge of gagging, Lucy quickly backpedaled some distance into the treeline, where she fought for breath and mopped at her tear stained cheeks with her shirt. She hadn't been crying, but whatever that strange grass was, it not only burned her lungs, but it made her eyes water painfully as well.

When she was able to see and breathe once more, Lucy regarded the stuff with deep suspicion from a distance. She'd never had an allergic reaction to a plant before, and had she been asked earlier that day, she would have said that she wasn't allergic to anything at all. Apparently she was mistaken. Had Natsu known she would have trouble following him through the clearing? The fact that his path had taken a sharp turn a ways back and headed directly for this particular spot suggested that he did, meaning that his magic was no doubt reacting to the plant, rather than Lucy herself.

Huffing in annoyance, the girl was half tempted to call the game off, but quickly balked at the idea. No, Natsu needed to be taught a lesson for pulling such a prank on her without warning!

Determined, Lucy warily circled the clearing a few times before she was finally able to pick up her boyfriend's trail once more. For some distance, his scent was tainted by the plants from the clearing, so she dampened her sense of smell and relied more on her eyes, calling on her nose only when her inexperience with tracking caused her to lose the path.

This worked well enough until she came to a wide, shallow stream. Lucy may not have been a hunter by nature, but even _she_ knew that if you were being chased by dogs, you could throw them off the trail by traveling through water.

Frowning thoughtfully, the blonde glanced up, and then down the stream. Which direction would he have gone? Orienting herself, Lucy thought that if she followed the water upstream, she'd wind up close to town, which she didn't figure Natsu would do. Perhaps on a normal day he would, but considering that there were still some unknown number of assassins potentially in the area of Magnolia, she doubted he would do so. So, that left her with downstream. Unfortunately, she would have to check both banks, because who knew if he would cross it or double back?

Thinking for a moment, Lucy kicked off her shoes and socks, and left them on the bank to come back for later. She didn't mind them getting dirty, but she didn't want them to get soaked. They'd take ages to dry, even _with_ magic. That done, Lucy rolled up her pants, and then waded out into the water.

It really was quite shallow, only ankle deep at that juncture, with a bed made up of smooth, round stones. Getting her footing the blonde broke into a run down the stream, scanning both banks for any sign of someone having waded out of it. To help, she opened up her senses once more, figuring that while the water might have weakened Natsu's scent, it most likely would have also washed away the taint of the strange plant.

As Lucy caught her second wind, she reveled in how easily she moved, even over the tricky footing of the stream bed. She leaped gracefully across the surface of exposed stones, and found her footing easily when she landed. When the water dropped away suddenly in a short waterfall, Lucy pushed off of a rock and jumped high into the air, keen eyes scanning either shore below her, the wind of her passing tugging at her golden hair, a fair amount of which had pulled loose of her severe pony tail in the course of her run.

There!

Twisting elegantly mid air to change course, Lucy landed in a crouch atop a large boulder on the shore, examining a tell-tale footprint in the mud between two smaller stones below her. It looked to be about the right size to be Natsu's, and seemed fresh, if the crisp outlines left by the shoe tread were anything to go by. Just to be sure, though, she jumped down from her perch and knelt to sniff at the area around the print, completely oblivious to how curiously predatory this action made her appear to the casual observer.

Sure enough, though it was weak and nearly overwhelmed by the smells of water and mud around her, Natsu's familiar scent lingered in the air, making Lucy grin wolfishly. She was getting close now!

The blonde kept low to the ground so she didn't lose the trail as it wound up the rocky bank, and by the time it hit the treeline again, the effects of his trek through the stream had worn off and she was able to follow it easily.

Picking up the pace, Lucy wove her way through the trees, dodging branches easily, and bounding over thickets barefoot without a second thought. In that moment, there was only the chase, and the joy of it sang in the pounding of her heart, filling her with an unfamiliar, single-minded euphoria.

The longer she ran, the heavier and easier to follow Natsu's scent became. Not, she realized, because she was losing herself to her new senses again (she was keeping quite a firm hand on them, however good a time she might be having in the moment), but because he was becoming tired. The aroma of sweat mixed in the air now, making her unconsciously lick her lips in anticipation.

Though he was leading her on a merry chase full of turns, double-backs, and obstacles, the game was nearly at an end now, she could feel it.

Leaping high into the air, Lucy grabbed a sturdy looking branch and swung herself up easily into the tree, going still as she closed her eyes and _listened_. It took a moment, but as she stretched her senses, she could just make out the sound of someone running a ways off to her left...

Grinning, the hunter jumped down from her perch, and abandoned the trail, following her ears through the deepening forest.

* * *

There was something strangely thrilling about being someone's prey, Natsu was coming to realize. The adrenaline had really kicked in, and though he was tired, the former dragon slayer found the idea of stopping, even to hide, hard to consider. Something in the deep, dark, primitive part of his brain screamed at him to keep running. Prey didn't stop, didn't rest when there was a predator on the loose, and it _certainly_ didn't consider just having a nice lie down until the wolf came along to gobble it up.

His energy was flagging now, but still he ran, knowing in his bones that all the tricks he'd pulled to buy himself some time wouldn't stave off Lucy for long. He did, however, feel a _little_ guilty for leading her through that patch of dragonsbane earlier. Still, she'd just have to learn to deal with such things if she really wanted to learn how to use his magic to her advantage.

If anything was going to take her awhile to track him through, though, it would be the water. After all, it was entirely possible that she'd decide to go upstream, instead of down, and waste a great deal of time in doing so.

" _I seeee you, Natsu!"_ Lucy called out in a lilting, sing-song voice that wasn't even remotely out of breath. The words sent a thrill of fear racing up the dragon slayer's spine, and his heart leaped in his chest. The laugh that echoed through the trees from an indiscernible source made Natsu abandon his circuitous route through the trees and break into a sprint in an attempt to put some distance between himself and Lucy.

He knew, of course, that she would never hurt him, but that treacherous little part of his brain that continued insisting there was a wolf at his heels kept him running. The chase was exhilarating, and just a little terrifying.

Natsu vaulted over a log, barely keeping his footing as he landed, Lucy laughing again as she closed in, bounding over the same obstacle with the grace of a doe. Occasionally, the dragon slayer would spot a flash of gold out of the corner of his eye, first to his left, and then to his right...it wasn't long before he realized that she was toying with him, running him to exhaustion as she kept pace effortlessly.

Chest burning, and feet pounding against the earth as verdant undergrowth lashed his legs and snatched at his ankles, Natsu felt on the verge of collapse when Lucy finally moved in for the kill.

To his shock, she didn't come at him from behind. Rather, she lunged at him from the depths of an alder thicket he had been hoping to take refuge in. During the impossibly long moment that she seemed to hang in the air, Natsu wondered when she had managed to get ahead of him without his noticing. Time reasserted itself, though, and Lucy was a suddenly a golden blur as she tackled him into a thick patch of ferns.

The wind was driven from Natsu's chest at the impact, which, granted, was softer than it might have been thanks to the plant-life that was now crushed beneath his recumbent form.

Lucy's breath tickled his ear as she leaned in and growled lightly "Caught you."

Her hands pinned his wrists to the ground above his head, and she sat, straddling his hips, with her feet hooked over his thighs, a position which quite effectively kept him from budging an inch.

"Not bad," he admitted with a grin, flushed and breathless from his run. Natsu let his head drop back to the soft cushion of undergrowth as his chest heaved while he fought to catch his breath "You can let me go, though, couldn't run away if I wanted to," he said, tugging a little against her hold on his wrists. As far as he was concerned, though, she could quite happily remain where she sat so long as she did that.

The blonde seemed to give it some thought, before saying "No, I don't think I will," and grinned devilishly down into his startled face as he really looked at her for the first time.

"What?" he demanded as he gazed up at her dark brown eyes "Come on, Lucy!" he complained, struggling harder now, though to no avail.

"Nope. You were very mean to me earlier, making me go through that horrible clearing," she chided as she leaned in closer. At some point, her long, pale hair had come free of it's tie, and now cascaded down around her face and shoulders in untamed golden waves. There was, he realized, a few leaves caught in her tresses, as well as a twig or two. Normally, this should have made her look an utter mess, but, somehow, it only lent her an air of wildness that he found profoundly sensual.

Their eyes met, and Natsu stopped struggling when her smile turned outright impish as she observed him. Lucy's feet shifted against his thighs, and he realized that they were bare, further emphasizing the 'wild thing' imagery in his mind.

"Dragonsbane. Sorry," he admitted shortly, now breathless for an entirely different reason, though his heart was pounding just as hard as she leaned in closer, her breasts pressed distractingly against his chest.

"Figured it was something like that," she murmured "Don't do that again," Lucy growled in warning as she leaned in and nipped his earlobe, making him inhale sharply.

"Y-yeah," he managed in a strangled voice, the sensation just this side of pain, but curiously pleasurable all the same.

"Good," Lucy said, and he could hear the humor in her voice as she pressed a little kiss his abused ear before pulling back and regarding him with half-lidded eyes.

"So, will you let me go now?" Natsu rasped, flushed and desperate to have her off his hips, or at least maybe move them a little...

"Absolutely not," Lucy said with a sly smile, though a blush began to creep across her cheeks at her own audacity as she continued "I caught you, that means I get to do whatever I want with you."

"Oh, does it?" the dragon slayer asked faintly, voice rough as he regarded her with a mixture of worry and anticipation.

"Yep," she answered, popping the 'p' sound expressively as she leaned in and claimed Natsu's lips with her own.

The kiss was was intense, almost hungry as she thrust her tongue into his mouth and tightened her grip on his wrists. Parting his lips and tilting his head back, Natsu groaned blissfully and welcomed her, feeling alternately powerless and aroused in turns while they took their time with the kiss. The dragon slayer arched his back in an attempt to get closer to her, and he could feel Lucy smile against his lips before she broke away and trailed kisses along the line of his jaw. As she did so, she shifted her grip so she was now holding both of his wrists with one hand, the other slipping down to remove his scarf and push open his vest, exposing the tan skin of his abdomen.

Lucy continued heading south from his throat, over his collar bone, to the muscles of his chest, where she shocked him by pausing at his nipple and lathing it gently with her tongue. A rather embarrassing moan escaped him as she sucked it gently, his face going beet red and making him wish he had a hand free so he could clap it over his mouth.

"Lucy!" he managed in a strangled voice, unsure himself if he was protesting her actions, or begging for more.

"Hmm?" she hummed absently in response as she bit down gently on the hardening bud of flesh.

Natsu grit his teeth and hissed at the sensation, hips bucking under her as a sharp, pleasurable shock shot straight south of his belt, and caused a definite reaction there "S-stop," he breathed, though even to his ears, his protest sounded half-hearted.

Lucy did as asked, looking up to meet his dazed eyes "Do you actually want me to?" she asked, previous confidence cracking as she worried she had crossed a line.

Staring down at her, Natsu blinked, and he felt the blush that had taken over his features intensify. He tore his eyes from hers and looked anywhere but at his girlfriend as he admitted "...no," in a gruff, but distinctly embarrassed voice.

"Oh, good," Lucy said, obviously relieved as she shifted position on his hips without thinking, making the dragon slayer beneath her bite down on his lip in an unsuccessful attempt muffle a moan. This made the blonde go very still as she realized that her attentions were having certain...effects on her boyfriend, which she could definitely feel pressing against her now that she was paying attention.

For a moment, Lucy was torn between being dreadfully embarrassed, and quite proud of herself. On the one hand, Natsu _did not_ have a banana in his pocket. On the other, he was most _definitely_ glad to see her.

After a second's consideration, during which Natsu watched her warily, wondering just which direction this decidedly embarrassing moment was going to go, Lucy shifted her legs off of his thighs and onto the ground so she was no longer sitting quite so heavily on him. She then proceeded to give her hips an experimental rock, watching in fascination as Natsu inhaled sharply, and gripped the hand that trapped his like a lifeline, his dark eyes fluttering shut.

Gaining confidence from this reaction, Lucy began to move her hips slowly against him, biting her lip in an effort to muffle the pleasurable sigh that escaped her as she too focused on the sensation.

Beneath her, Natsu swore quietly in reaction to her attentions "Holy shit. That feels...hnnn-" words melted into incomprehensible sounds of pleasure before the man could finish his sentence. 

"Feels?" Lucy prompted a little breathlessly as she finally released her hold on the dragon slayer's wrists and sat upright, affording better maneuverability for her hips.

"I don't even-" the rose haired man began, but found himself at a loss for words when his girlfriend moved just so, scattering his thoughts like so much dust before the wind. With his hands finally free, Natsu grabbed Lucy's hips and pulled her down harder for a moment, before trailing them up her sides, and stopping just below her breasts.

Noting his hesitation, Lucy smiled shyly down at him "You can...i-if you like," she said, clearly flustered, but earnest all the same. To show her sincerity, the blonde took his hands gently and pulled them up to her chest, blushing self-consciously as she pressed his palms into the soft flesh there.

"Not like you've never grabbed them before," she joked weakly.

Natsu was too busy staring at his hands on her breasts to respond. He knew she was right; it definitely wasn't his first time grabbing her there. However, he was beginning to realize that there was a big difference between copping a feel (accidentally or otherwise) and being _invited_ to touch her. This was far more intimate.

The dragon slayer squeezed them gently, his dark eyes darting to Lucy's face when she let out a pleased hum, which quickly turned into a gasp when he idly flicked his thumbs across her already erect nipples. He could just make them out from beneath the fabric of her shirt and bra. Without thinking, Natsu sat up, and wrapped his arms around Lucy to keep her from tumbling backwards out of his lap.

The blonde let out a little yelp at the sudden change as she threw her arms around his neck to stay upright. The sound almost immediately changed into a cry of surprised bliss when Natsu unexpectedly latched onto her breast with his mouth through her clothing and ran his tongue over her nipple. The sensation was pure torture, as she could feel the heat of his mouth and the pressure of his tongue even through the fabric, but it was nowhere near enough.

Natsu apparently felt the same way, as a moment later, his calloused hands were tugging impatiently at her shirt until he had it up over her chest, exposing the plain sports bra Lucy had worn in anticipation of the afternoon's workout. Absently, the girl wished she was wearing something rather prettier, but the thought didn't last long, as Natsu had that up and out of the way in a hot second, and all rational thought was driven from her mind as he took her in his mouth in earnest this time.

A little 'oh' of pleasure escaped her as his hot tongue teased her nipple, and he sucked intently, groaning happily to himself as he did so. Rocking her hips again as he took her other breast in his free hand and massaged it gently, he bit down in reaction, making her gasp and grab his head in her hands, fingers twining tightly through his pink hair.

"Not too hard," she warned breathlessly as they moved in unison, eyelids fluttering shut as she let the pleasure of his body moving against hers wash over her.

"Sorry," he managed when he came up briefly for air before switching sides.

Gods but she tasted good, and the feel of her soft flesh in his mouth and under his tongue came as close to a religious experience as the dragon slayer had ever had. Having Lucy, _his Lucy,_ wrapped around him and gasping as she clung to him like a lifeline was the most exquisite thing he had ever experienced.

Growling possessively, Natsu pulled her down onto the ground and shifted so that he was on top of her now, kissing her deeply as she pulled his hips in flush against her with her legs, driving even more blood away from his brain. Lucy's hands roved across his chest before looping around to his back so she could pull him in closer still, both of them reveling in the divine sensation of skin on skin.

Forced to come up for air, Natsu broke away from the kiss and looked down at the woman beneath him, admiring the beauty he found there. Lucy was flushed, eyes bright, and panting for breath as she met his eyes and smiled so sweetly up at him that the dragon slayer thought his legendary willpower might shatter in that moment, making him give into the temptation to take her then and there.

He couldn't, though, he knew he couldn't.

Well, he _could_ , and gods did he want too, but he wouldn't. If they were going to do it, then, well...they were going to do it right. As tantalizing as the thought of having his way with her on the forest floor amongst the ferns and trees was, there would be time for that later.

"Hey," Lucy murmured as she reached up and trailed her fingers along his cheek affectionately, sensing the change in mood from frantic passion, to something quieter, but just as wonderful.

"Hey," he replied with a grin as he exerted a truly mighty level of self control, and lowered himself to lay his head against her chest, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close as he did. He sighed contentedly after a moment, eyes half-shut as she reached down and ran her fingers soothingly through his hair.

After a few minutes, Lucy tugged down her bra and shirt, at which Natsu made a disappointed noise.

"Hush, it's drafty out here," she chided, amused when the dragon slayer responded by pushing one hand up under her shirt to let his fingers splay possessively across the flat of her stomach in a need to maintain skin-to-skin contact.

They remained that way for some time, each lost in their own thoughts. The afternoon breeze made the trees around them sigh softly as gold-green light flickered down through the shifting canopy. Lucy occasionally hummed snatches of a song unfamiliar to Natsu as his mind idly turned over thoughts that had been troubling him.

"Gramps thinks that someone from Telmare sent those assassins after you," Natsu said eventually, breaking the peaceful quiet.

"Oh?" Lucy said, stirring slightly beneath him, making the man raise his head so he could get a look at her curious expression.

He nodded and continued "I guess that knife you found is made there or something," he explained "He wouldn't tell me more, though," Natsu added, frowning in annoyance at this, made restless by the mere thought of an unknown enemy he was not allowed to pursue. An overwhelming need to protect the woman in his arms had him subtly tightening his grip on her.

"I'm not surprised," Lucy admitted after a minute's quiet contemplation.

"What, that's it? You're okay with him not telling us what's going on?" Natsu asked, surprised by the idea as he shifted so he was propped up on one elbow, looking down at Lucy.

The blonde frowned thoughtfully and shook her head "No, of course not. I'm just saying that I understand his reluctance. If whoever hired those killers happens to be someone important in Telmare...we could be talking an international incident. If we rush in and accuse their government of something it turns out they didn't do, then that would be just as bad."

Natsu just blinked at her, so Lucy continued "Look, Fairy Tail is Fiore's most powerful guild. If it came out that some nobility, or even the royal family, from Telmare tried to assassinate one of it's members in what could be construed as retribution for Hisui declining their offer of marriage...well, lets just say that, historically, wars have been started for less. That doesn't even take into account that they didn't just attack Fairy Tail, either, they went after Sabertoothe as well," the blonde explained patiently, then added as an afterthought "Not that I'm saying the assassination attempt was because of the marriage proposal. I know Hisui's a friend of mine, but I'd hardly be the first target if that were the case."

Still frowning, Natsu seemed to let this information sink in. Lucy could practically see the gears turning in his head, and it was obvious that the man didn't like the answer he was coming up with.

"So you're trying to say that Gramps is keeping stuff from us so we don't rush in and start a war?"

"Pretty much," Lucy said with an indulgent smile as she brushed a loose strand of rose hued hair from her boyfriend's face.

The dragon slayer growled, but couldn't seem to come up with a convincing counter-argument. Instead, he rolled over and got to his feet, then offered her a hand up.

"Talking about all this politics bullshit makes my head hurt," he complained as Lucy took his hand and he pulled her to her feet "And I'm hungry. Lets go eat."

"Fair enough," Lucy replied with a chuckle as she brushed leaves and other debris from her person while Natsu grabbed up his scarf and returned it to it's place around his neck.

"Oh," she added "I need to go get my shoes, first. I left them by the stream," Lucy explained as they both glanced down at her bare feet. The dragon slayer rolled his eyes, but smiled and let her lead the way back the way they had come, taking her hand in his as they walked.

* * *

The days passed in a happy blur in the wake of that afternoon. Looking back on it later, Lucy would admit that they were some of her happiest up to that point in her life. Living together with Natsu and Happy in their little home, eating together, laughing together...was bliss. It was family.

A week went by, but the two mages were not idle, despite their inability to go out on jobs, at the order of their master. A great deal of training was done, as Natsu eased Lucy back into working on her fighting skills with a gentleness that surprised her, but also filled her with gratitude. Controlling his magic as she learned the dragon slayer spells came more easily than she anticipated in the wake of her initial scare.

In fact, mastering his attacks came with such ease to the blonde, that Natsu very nearly became resentful. He had, after all, spent the better part of his life practicing what seemed to be taking her only a week to master. Hoping to nip this in the bud, Lucy pointed out that he was mastering her own magic at the same rate, which would have annoyed her, had she not developed a theory on how such things were possible.

Their unnatural genius with each other's magic, her theory went, must be thanks to her ill-fated wish. Lucy had, after all, essentially wished for their positions to be reversed, and this was something that couldn't truly be accomplished by each simply possessing the other's magic. They would have to be able to use it effectively as well, meaning that, really, she was not a dragon slayer prodigy, or he a natural celestial spirit mage.

Natsu had thought on this over dinner once she explained it, and eventually agreed, at which Lucy was relieved. The idea of her boyfriend resenting her for something beyond her control was something that she wasn't sure she'd be able to bear.

So the days passed, filled with a routine of training and working on translations for Levy, to whom they reported every day with the work done the night before. Natsu and Happy, though of limited use in this, did their utmost to help. The dragon slayer's greatest assistance, perhaps, came in the form of summoning Crux to help her when the spirit was able. With his insight, and the resources of the celestial realm, the pieces of the puzzle slowly slotted into place. The elderly spirit had found precious little on the wishing star that still hung from Natsu's memory board, and so that avenue was set aside in favor of working on the modified changeling spell full time.

They should have known better than to think that such happiness could last forever.

* * *

Lucy yelped as she found herself being yanked off her feet, the world spinning crazily as she tumbled to the ground. Natsu's grip on her wrist slackened, and the blonde took advantage of this fact to twist free and roll over so she was on her back.

The dragon slayer was grinning down at her, even as he moved to pin her and end their bout. He was too slow, though, and his girlfriend caught him off guard by hooking one of her legs through his and twisting, sending him to the ground as well. Falling in a tangle of limbs, the pair wrestled for dominance in the grass outside of Natsu's house.

At some point, however, the fight changed into something else entirely as two pairs of lips inexorably found each other, and hands drifted from pressure points to more intimate areas. Lucy threw her arms around Natsu's neck and pulled him in closer, moaning into his mouth when his hands slipped under her shirt, roving fervently over the wonderfully soft, smooth skin he found there.

"Lucy..." he mumbled ardently against her lips, breath hitching as she wrapped herself around him.

"Yes, Natsu?" she murmured distractedly as she fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, only to give up after a moment and simply rip it open, sending the offending fastenings flying with a sharp 'pop' so she could run her hands down the length of his muscled torso.

"We're supposed to be training," he pointed out breathlessly as she took her time trailing her fingers along the contours of his abs.

Lucy snorted and said "Well you started it," as she slipped her hand sup the length of his torso to his shoulders, and dragged his head down towards her, capturing his lips once more. The man seemed more than happy to indulge her for some time. When they broke away to catch their breath again, she continued "We can stop if you like, though," with a sly smile up at him.

"No way," he growled, leaning over her possessively. There was a certain look that Natsu got in his eyes at times like this that positively melted Lucy. He lunged in again, driving himself against her in a way that made the woman gasp and clutch his hips as he ran his tongue up the pale column of her throat.

A few feet away, someone pointedly cleared their throat, startling both mages into looking around in surprise.

A small group had gathered a few yards off, the sight of which had Natsu and Lucy disentangling themselves from one another in a hurry as they scrambled to their feet.

"I leave you two alone for five minutes..." Happy muttered, exasperated but smiling.

Behind him, Makarov, Levy, Gray and, surprisingly, Loke all stood looking varying degrees of awkward.

The old man was slightly flushed, but seemed more entertained than anything, his mustache twitching as he gave Natsu a thumbs up on the sly. Loke appeared to be torn between annoyed and amused, and beside him, Gray was staring at Natsu as though seeing him for the first time. Levy, meanwhile, was beet red and clutching a sheet of paper to her chest like a shield.

"Hey, what's up," Natsu said with his usual nonchalant confidence, hands behind his head and grinning with an ease that had Lucy staring at him. The man didn't seem embarrassed in the slightest. She decided that her best option was to follow his lead and act like nobody had seen a thing.

"Did something happen?" she asked curiously, proud of the fact that she wasn't anywhere near so red as Levy right now.

For a moment, nobody said anything, and then Makarov lightly elbowed Levy, who squeaked and took a step forward "I...I mean _we..._ figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Natsu asked, blinking in confusion as he looked at the girl, who returned a similar look before she spoke again.

"The spell?" she said "You know, to switch your magic back," Levy clarified, speaking slowly as she glanced between the pair. To make her point, she showed them the now wrinkled piece of paper she had been clutching a moment before.

A frisson of surprise ran through Natsu and Lucy both as they shared a startled look. Somehow, despite all the work they had been putting into helping Levy with the project, neither of them had realized just how close the girl was to completing the spell.

"Seriously?!" Natsu said, stepping forward and snatching the paper from the solid script mage's outstretched hands and examining it intently. The words, though readable, made no real sense to him.

Lucy stepped over to have a look as well, able to make a little more sense of the spell than her boyfriend, though not much. It was written in their alphabet, but in a language she only had a basic grasp of thanks to her translating work.

"So it's ready? We can do it now?" Natsu asked eyes lighting up with hope as he looked the small group over, an eager smile spreading across his face.

"Er, are we certain it's going to work?" Lucy asked, ever the voice of caution between the two of them.

Levy nodded happily, her embarrassment at what she'd witnessed earlier fading quickly now as she explained "It should work fine. I tested it on Jett and Droy earlier."

Lucy gave her friend a startled glance, and the other girl had the good grace to look a little ashamed of herself "I was quite certain it was going to work, you know," she reassured the blonde defensively "I wouldn't have done it otherwise."

Natsu burst out laughing at this, clearly amused by the thought of the two men being experimented on by their team leader "Droy running...that's something I haven't seen in awhile," Natsu joked, at which Levy frowned, and Lucy swatted him on the arm.

Turning her attention to her friends, she asked "Well, shall we get to it, then?" excited, despite the risk. Not that she didn't have faith in Levy and Makarov, but this was a doozy of a spell, and a new, relatively untested one at that. If they were going to do it, she wanted to do it there and then, before she could lose her nerve.

"We'll start shortly," Makarov said, holding up a hand, asking for their patience "Some of the others wanted to be here as support," he explained with a paternal smile.

While they waited, Natsu stepped to one side to speak with their master, and Loke approached Lucy.

"Ready for this?" he asked with a small smile as he pushed his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. The spirit was wearing his casual clothes again today, rather than his usual suit, though the green jacket was nowhere to be seen for a change. Apparently even he found it too warm out for a parka.

"I guess so," Lucy said "Pretty nervous, I'm not gonna lie," she admitted with a shaky laugh, feeling as though her stomach were full of butterflies in anticipation, and dread, of the spell. It all came down to this. If Levy and Makarov's idea didn't work...she had no idea _what_ they were going to do.

"Don't worry, Makarov won't let anything happen to you and Natsu," Loke said, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing lightly, even as they both glanced at the other two men in question.

"So," he said after a moment, his hand dropping to his side once more "The rumors about you and him are true? He finally asked you out?"

Lucy blinked up at Loke, thrown off guard by the sudden change in subject. She blushed faintly when he looked at her, but nodded "Yeah."

The spirit sighed in disappointment, pushing at his glasses again as he said "Lucy, I can't believe you said yes to _him,_ but not to me!"

The blonde rolled her eyes and shoved him lightly "Oh please! You'd never be happy with just me," she said with a snort of amusement at the very idea.

Loke gave her a wry sort of smile that made the girl's own falter slightly, taken off guard by the seriousness of his gaze. It was gone a second later, though, making Lucy wonder if she had seen it at all.

"Yeah, you're probably right," the lion spirit admitted with a shameless grin before turning his attention toward the path leading up to Natsu's house. A veritable mob of mages was approaching them at a quick pace.

Smiling broadly at the sight, her odd conversation with Loke forgotten for the moment, Lucy hurried to greet her friends "Erza! What'd you do, send out an invitation?" the blonde asked with a laugh as she stopped before the requip mage. In her excitement, the blonde quite forgot the fact that she had been playing a veritable game of cat and mouse with the requip mage all week. They'd barely seen each other since Erza had paid for Lucy's apartment repairs.

"Oh, no, not a written one," the red head said with a casual wave of her hand "But when we heard that Master and Levy were coming out here to perform the spell, pretty much everyone wanted to come watch and support you both," she added with a smile at the crowd of people quickly fanning out through the yard, speaking with one another and Natsu.

Gajeel, Juvia, Laxus and his team, Lily, Wendy, Carla, and many more had all shown up. It warmed Lucy's heart to see them all there, smiling at her, wishing the pair of them luck.

"Alright all you brats, shut the hell up so we can get this done with!" Makarov shouted over the veritable din the gathering of mages was making. They all quieted down, and the old man continued "Lucy, where are you? Get over here, girl."

Erza gave her friend an encouraging smile, and pushed her towards their Master. Lucy didn't need to be told twice, and she hurried to Natsu's side, automatically slipping her hand into his.

The rose haired mage smiled down at her and squeezed her hand gently before turning his attention to Levy and Makarov.

"Alright, we're ready," he said as Lucy nodded.

"Go ahead, Levy," the old master said, waving a hand to her in permission, making the blue haired girl give a start of alarm.

"O-oh! Master, I don't think I should," she said quickly, thrusting the piece of paper out towards him "Just doing Jett and Droy yesterday almost wiped me out, magic wise. Honestly, I'm not sure I'd even be able to manage doing Lucy and Natsu..." she admitted.

The old man hummed thoughtfully for a moment, then accepted the sheet "Alright, better safe than sorry," he agreed before taking a moment to read the spell over a few times to make sure he wouldn't stumble over any of the words.

"Alright, you brats stand still, and the rest of you step back," he ordered, pointing first at Natsu and Lucy, then looking around at the rest of the mages warningly. Everyone did as they were told, and Makarov began to read.

Lucy's grip on Natsu's hand tightened as she felt magic begin to spark around them. A moment later, an arcane circle, covered in unfamiliar runes erupted into being at their feet, while a second mirrored it just overhead, bathing them in a golden light. The familiar pressure of Makarov's magic surged around them, encompassing them in it's grasp, building in intensity with every moment. Lucy experienced a peculiar tugging sensation in her stomach, as though someone was trying to yank out something that had taken root there.

The woman grimaced in discomfort, her hand automatically going to her middle before she glanced up at Natsu, who had a similarly pained expression on his face. The man's free hand rested over the center of his chest, as though trying to keep something there from escaping.

Lucy felt a final, painful tug from behind her navel before a loud crack deafened her, and a flash of harsh, white light and magic turned violent erupted around them, driving the both of them to their knees.

Still seeing spots as Makarov's power faded, Lucy sat back in the grass, feeling weak and shaky as she fought for breath.

"Lucy, are you alright?" Levy asked, and the blonde heard her approach, but couldn't see her through all the spots.

"I...I don't-" Lucy began, but her strength failed her. Darkness rushed up around her, and her friend suddenly seemed very far away "Natsu?" she whimpered, reaching blindly for him as she blacked out.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops! My hand slipped and almost sexy things happened again, hehe. Not gonna lie, 'can you feel the love tonight' from the lion king came on my playlist while I was writing the bit where Lucy leans in to kiss Natsu, and I almost died laughing X'D The chapter title, however, was inspired by the song 'Howl' by Florence and the Machine. It's a fave of mine, so give it a listen!
> 
> Also, sorry I'm not sorry about the banana joke. I have a terrible sense of humor. It's just one of those terrible little facts of life. X'D
> 
> Hope you all enjoyed! As mentioned at the top of the chapter, things are kicking into gear with the story, so look forward to it! There will, of course, still be fluff intermissions, though, I promise ;D
> 
> Remember to leave a review if you enjoyed! They really help keep me writing!


	21. Manifest Destiny

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, man, you guys are lucky I love you so much. I'm super sick right now, but I edited a chapter for you anyways! Lol, I kid. Well, not about being sick, that is true, but I'd edit anyways because I got bored with sleeping all day, haha. That being said, please forgive me if things aren't quite up to standard this chapter. Being sick does make it a bit harder to focus. I'll probably go back and re-edit this chapter later.
> 
> Thanks for being so patient with last week's cliffhanger!

There was something soft patting her cheeks, and tugging at her hair as Lucy slowly came to. Someone was crying, their high pitched voice fighting back big, gulping sobs as the blonde struggled back into the waking world.

The insistent patting stopped, and the crying quieted somewhat as it's source seemed to move away from her. Eyes fluttering, Lucy groaned and clapped a hand over them as light lanced painfully through her eyelids and straight into the back of her head.

"Lucy, you alright?" a masculine voice asked, low and insistent as she was shaken gently.

"No," she croaked, throat painfully dry as she tried to push herself upright "Why do I feel like someone tried to turn my head inside out?" the woman asked with a grimace.

"You can't be all that bad if you're asking that sort of question," Loke, for it was Loke, remarked as he helped her into a seated position.

Lucy finally dared to open her eyes and looked around at the veritable mob of people surrounding her. Loke was at her side, having apparently caught her before she had hit the ground, while Levy crouched at her other side, looking inordinately relieved, brown eyes threatening tears.

"Oh god, Lucy, I am so sorry," the girl said as she gently placed one hand on her friend's shoulder to steady her "I swear it worked fine on Jett and Droy, earlier!"

"It's alright," Lucy replied, waving off her concern, brain still too scrambled to stop and consider just _what_ had gone wrong. She was further distracted by Happy, who noticed that she was awake now.

"Lucy, you're okay!" the little cat exclaimed with a sob, huge tears leaking down his furry face as he launched himself at her.

The blonde caught him clumsily, but quickly wrapped him up in her arms as Loke and Levy waved off more concerned guildmates, insisting that they give her some room to breathe "I'm alright, I'm alright," she soothed the exceed gently as she stroked his ears "How long was I out?"

Happy sniffled and answered "Only a minute, but there was this horrible flash and you and Natsu fell, and..." the cat's lower lip began to tremble again, and Lucy hugged him tightly in an attempt to reassure him, before his words registered.

"Natsu? Is he alright?" she demanding, falling into a panic almost immediately as she looked around wildly for her boyfriend, stumbling to her feet, despite Loke's protests that she needed to rest.

Searching for the familiar shock of pink hair, Lucy quickly spotted it only a few feet away, her stomach dropping out as she took in Natsu's frighteningly still form. She needn't have worried, though, as before she was even able to reach his side, the dragon slayer sat up with a gasp.

"Holy shit," he swore, hands going almost immediately to his head, clutching it painfully as Gajeel and Gray both sat back quickly to avoid being brained by the other mage's sudden movement. Erza reached out and steadied him as he whipped around and asked "Where's Lucy?" almost immediately.

"Here," the girl answered, knees weak with relief that the man seemed relatively unharmed. She sank down beside him, releasing her hold on Happy so the exceed could jump over and hug him as well "Are you alright?" she asked, reaching out to touch him without second thought, needing the reassurance of physical contact as she looked him over worriedly.

"I feel like someone tried to turn my head inside out," Natsu unwittingly echoed her with a grimace, making Lucy laugh.

"That's what I said," the blonde commiserated as she gently brushed a stray bit of dirt from the dragon slayer's cheek, making Natsu smile in return.

In the face of such an oddly private moment, Gray, Erza, and Gajeel all averted their eyes, until their attention was drawn back by Lucy, who said "What's this?"

She had lowered her hand, but her gaze was drawn to Natsu's chest, where his shirt still hung open thanks to her impatient attentions earlier. She pushed it aside to examine the strange discoloration that had spread across his chest, radiating out from the point just below his heart. It looked as though lightning had traced a web-like path across his sun-tanned skin, bleaching it several shades paler with it's passing.

"The hell is that?" Gajeel muttered, leaning in curiously for a closer look as Levy and Makarov joined them.

"A side effect of the blast?" Levy asked curiously as she turned to look at Lucy, who's lower cut shirt allowed a clear view of the same place, though there was no such mark to be seen "Lucy doesn't seem to have one, though."

The blonde only frowned, though, and instead of inspecting her chest, pulled up her shirt to expose her stomach instead, knowing before she even did so just what she would find there.

"O-oh," Levy murmured, frowning as everyone's eyes took in the similar markings that now spread across the flat of the blonde's belly. The ones on her skin seemed to spread even further, though were less obvious at first glance thanks to her much paler skin.

"So much for bikini season," Lucy remarked with a sigh.

The boys blinked at her, clearly not understanding, while Levy and Erza both gave her a sympathetic look.

"I think they look kind of neat," Happy chimed in, making the girl smile down at him gratefully.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed hurriedly, grinning at his girlfriend "Just think of it like...matching tattoos or something."

Gray rolled his eyes, and Gajeel snorted, but Lucy laughed and nodded "Could be worse, I guess," she mused as Makarov called for Wendy, who had been standing anxiously to one side, not wanting to crowd them, but obviously concerned about her friends.

"Take a look at them, will you? Make sure their insides weren't cooked and they just don't realize it yet," the old master told her as he waved her over.

Wendy blanched in horror at the very idea, but hurried over quickly to do as she was bid.

"My guts are fine," Natsu insisted with a grimace, but a look from Lucy settled him enough to let the sky dragon slayer get on with their check-up as Carla landed next to Happy, who was perched on Lucy's lap.

The blonde noticed the hurried way the exceed wiped away the remains of his tears when the white cat approached, and though she smiled, she made no comment. Wendy's diagnostic spell was painless, the girl's magic rippled across her skin soothingly before soaking in, blending harmoniously with Natsu's. It paused here and there, before eventually retreating back to it's master to relay what it had found.

"They both seem fine," Wendy said at last as she looked back at Makarov, who nodded as the whole group released a breath none of them realized they'd been holding.

"I guess the only question left to ask, then, is if it worked," Erza said in the quiet that followed.

Lucy and Natsu shared a look, that spoke volumes. In unison, both of them raised a hand, and went through the now familiar motion of summoning a ball of flame. Without a second's hesitation, fire flickered to life above Lucy's palm, it's innocuous presence there, while Natsu's remained empty, like a slap to the face.

The dragon slayer groaned and flopped back onto the grass in disappointment, while Lucy sighed and gently folded her hand shut around the little flame, quenching it with hardly a thought.

"I don't understand!" Levy cried, seeming just as downcast as her two friends as she re-examined the crinkled sheet of paper she had written the spell on "Master, are you sure you read it correctly?" she asked, though she knew full well that he had. She had been listening quite closely just to be sure.

Makarov scowled at the girl, and didn't dignify her question with an answer, instead, he asked another "That flash of white light...I don't recall that happening in your test."

"You're right, it didn't," the solid script mage admitted "That was new."

"Could it be something to do with Lucy's wish?" Erza speculated absently.

"That white light...now that you mention it, it definitely reminds me of the wishing star," Lucy admitted reluctantly, at which Happy nodded his agreement.

"It's not your fault, so quit blaming yourself" Gajeel told Levy sternly as he came to stand beside her, his arms crossed over his chest "It must be because of that wish. It worked fine when you did the spell the first time, after all."

"Y-yeah," Levy said, blinking up at Gajeel, and then giving him a weak, though grateful, smile.

Gray sat on the grass next to Natsu's sprawled form, staring absently into the middle distance "Well, if Levy's spell can't switch them back...what about a second wish?" he suggested.

"We already thought of that," Natsu groused "there's not enough magic left in the star, and no one knows where another one is, unless you've got one stashed somewhere and didn't bother to tell us," he added testily.

"Shut up," Gray said, kicking his friend in the leg as he continued "Maybe we're just over-thinking this, or something. I mean, if the star can grant wishes, but is out of power...what if we just, I don't know, recharge it?"

"Like a lacrima battery," Lucy said, lighting up. Could it really be that simple? Looking around at her assembled friends, no one seemed to have a counter-argument, so she turned to Happy and asked "Could you go get it for us?"

"Aye!" the exceed answered eagerly, jumping into the air and winging away quickly over the crowd towards the house.

"You really think this will work?" Natsu asked her as the assembled mages began to chatter excitedly around them, hope returning to his eyes as he sat up and watched her climb to her feet.

"Who knows. Doesn't hurt to try, right?" she said with a smile down at him as she offered him a hand up.

The dragon slayer grinned broadly in answer as he took her hand and allowed her to haul him to his feet "Guess you're right," he agreed cheerfully. Natsu maintained his hold on her hand once he was standing, and used it to pull her in close so he could sling his arm across her shoulders, completely unabashed by the attention the move garnered.

Beside them, Gray feigned gagging, while Gajeel snorted and drawled "Ugh, get a room, will you?"

"Jealous," Natsu countered with a wicked grin and a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows.

The iron dragon slayer blushed furiously and looked ready to tear into the rose haired mage, but luckily, Happy's return forestalled any violence.

"Got it!" he shouted cheerfully over the din of the crowd, holding the star gingerly in his paws to keep it from pricking him.

Erza, who had been watching Natsu and Lucy with some interest, reached out a hand and claimed the star from the little exceed. She delicately unwound the wire from among it's spikes and tucked it away in a pocket before offering the artifact to her master.

Makarov took the dimly glittering item and examined it carefully, a thoughtful frown on his weathered features as he turned it this way and that "So much trouble over such a little thing," the mumbled absently to himself, then winced as the star pricked his palm, though not quite hard enough to draw blood.

The old man took a few steps forward, and then placed the ancient artifact on the grass before returning to his place and shouting "Alright, all you brats, gather round! Form up here in a circle, and when I give the command, shoot everything you've got at that star, got it?"

There was a rousing cry of affirmation as the guild quickly formed ranks around the star and prepared themselves. Before Natsu and Lucy could do the same, though Makarov waved them away "Not you two. We don't know if what this thing has already done to you might interfere."

Natsu looked ready to object, but quickly bit his tongue and nodded reluctantly as he stepped back out of the circle, Lucy following along.

"Don't worry, they'll do their best without us," Lucy reassured him as she took her hand in his and squeezed it gently.

"Yeah, I know," Natsu said with a sigh of frustration "But I'm sick and tired of being side-lined."

Lucy laughed. She just couldn't help it, however unhappy her boyfriend might be at this change in circumstances. Part of her wanted to say 'welcome to my life', but she managed to refrain, simply shaking her head when Natsu gave her a confused look.

Both of their attention was drawn to the circle, now, which had formed around the star as everyone found a spot. With a wave of a hand, Makarov cast a re-charging spell over the star that would channel their collect magic into the thing, the same way mages everywhere charged lacrimas.

"Alright," he said "One, two, three...now!"

The sudden burst of magic was enough to make Lucy and Natsu both throw their arms up to shield their eyes. It filled the air around them, and made Lucy feel as though her hair were standing on end, so intense was the thaumaturgical radiation. The resulting wind and noise was just as overwhelming, as though a tornado had spontaneously formed over Natsu's front yard.

Though the outpouring of magic had rendered her deaf and blind, Lucy could feel Natsu reach out to her and tug her in close. As the storm intensified, he pushed her down to the ground in a crouch, wrapping himself protectively around her as they waited for it to pass.

Eventually, it did, and Lucy hesitantly raised her head, blinking against the spots left by the intense light that had finally died away. All around her, she could see mages sprawled here and there, apparently cast aside by the powerful magics they had wrought. Though many of them looked exhausted, no one seemed injured as Natsu stood once more, allowing her to do the same.

"Alright?" he asked shortly, giving her the up and down to make sure she wasn't injured before she was even able to answer.

"I'm fine," she reassured him "You?"

"Yeah," he answered distractedly, his attention already going to the center of the now broken circle. He hurried over to where the star had been a moment before, Lucy following at a more sedate pace as she stopped and helped Wendy, Loke, and Erza to their feet. Of everyone involved, only Makarov had been left standing.

"Well?" the old mage demanded as Natsu scrambled down into the six foot deep crater their experiment had left at the center of the circle of mages.

Lucy and everyone else gathered at it's edge as the dragon slayer dug through the charred earth to find the star. The crowd watched with bated breath as Natsu finally found it a moment later, blowing on it to get off the worst of the dirt so he could examine it more closely.

"Natsu?" Lucy called down worriedly as the man went very still. His name stirred him from his shock, though, and he turned to scramble back up the side of the pit.

Multiple hands were offered to help him up the last few feet, but it was Lucy's that he took without second thought. When he turned to look up at her, face grim, the former celestial mage felt her stomach fall out through her feet.

"Sorry, Lucy," he said tiredly as he held out the star for her to examine.

The blonde took it gently in her hands and carefully brushed more earth from it's sharp, glittering surface. Even without doing so, though, Lucy could immediately tell that it's brightness was unchanged. It's light was just as faint as it had been before their attempt. She swallowed hard, fighting back tears of disappointment.

"Maybe if we tried again, with more people..." Gray suggested as Levy reached over and rubbed Lucy's back in an attempt to console her.

"No," the blonde said, shaking her head "It was a long shot to begin with. I'm sure Johnathan wouldn't have given it up if it was possible to just recharge the thing." She smiled at the ice mage, and added "It was a good idea, though, Gray. Thanks."

Gray didn't look as though her words did much to ease his disappointment, but he gave her a half-hearted smile anyways "We'll come up with something else," he said firmly.

"It's a big world," Gajeel remarked "There's got to be _something_ that can undo a wish like this."

Finally breaking the unusual silence that had fallen over him, Natsu snatched the star back from Lucy and released a yell of frustration as he threw the thing as hard as he could.

It didn't make it far, though, as Makarov magically stretched out one arm and snatched the artifact right out of the air "Don't be rash, brat," the old man chided the dragon slayer roughly, his limb shrinking back to normal size before turning around and regarding his guild "Alright, you lot, go on home. Problem won't be fixing itself tonight."

Shoulders still tense and head bowed unhappily, Natsu shoved his hands in his pockets and ignored their well wishers as the mages gradually left. Knowing all too well how he felt, Lucy took up the duty of thanking them all for their help, even if it had all come to naught.

One of the last to leave, Loke paused by Lucy and rested his hand on her shoulder "Don't give up," he said with a smile.

"Who, me?" she said, forcing a smile onto her face for his benefit.

"Yeah, you," the spirit said with an indulgent chuckle "We're all here to help and support you. Don't lose sight of that either," he said, this time looking at Natsu, who tensed briefly before lifting his head to meet Loke's gaze with his own.

The two men stared one another down for a long moment, before the dragon slayer finally cracked a grin and said "Yeah, that's what family's for, right?" and thrust his hand out towards Loke.

The red head regarded it for a moment, and then smiled and clasped Natsu's forearm firmly, the rose haired mage returning the gesture. Loke released his hold and nodded, then wandered off down the path, leaving the pair standing with only Makarov, Levy, and Happy at the edge of the crater.

Levy looked so thoroughly downcast by her spell's failure, that Lucy immediately stepped to her side and wrapped her up in a hug. At first, the solid script mage didn't respond, but after a moment, she was hugging her friend fiercely, fighting back tears as she buried her face in the taller girl's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry, Lucy," the girl choked out, crushed by her perceived shortcomings.

"It's alright, Levy, it's not your fault. You worked so hard," the blonde murmured soothingly, gently rocking her friend where they stood. She could feel the other girl's tears quickly soaking her shirt, but she didn't object. She was too busy fighting back her own tears to even think about complaining.

"She's right!" Happy chimed in, hovering anxiously around the girls, upset by their obvious distress "Your spell _worked_ Levy, just not on Natsu and Lucy."

"Th-then what's the point?" the solid script mage sobbed.

"The point is, you did what you could, and it was more than anyone else," Natsu said firmly, giving the girl a reassuring, if awkward, slap on the back. Lucy rolled her eyes at the gesture, though a smile tugged at her lips. Her poor boyfriend meant well, but he certainly had his awkward moments.

Surprisingly, Natsu's words did seem to have some effect on the girl in Lucy's arms, who sniffled and looked around at them, eyes red, but tears slowing.

"I just...I just really wanted to help," Levy said, wiping fiercely at her cheeks "I thought for sure it would work, too."

"Listen to your friends, Levy," Makarov finally weighed in "You did what you could, and what you did was amazing, even if it wasn't quite what we needed. We'll get there," he said firmly as he reached into his vest pocket and produced a tissue, which he handed her.

A watery smile on her face, Levy accepted the offering and dabbed at her face, and blew her nose "Thank you," she said quietly as she gently disentangled herself from Lucy's arms and shoved the tissue in her pocket.

"So what now?" Lucy asked, giving voice to the question that at least four of the five of them were considering.

"So now we rest, and in the morning, you lot report to the guild for a meeting. There are things you need to know," the old man said tiredly.

"Can't you just tell us, Gramps?" Natsu demanded, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning down at his master, who glared right back.

"If I could just tell you know, then I wouldn't call a damn meeting at the guild, now would I, brat?"

As the pair continued to glare daggers at one another, Lucy interjected "Why now?"

"Huh?" Makarov asked with a blink as Natsu turned to regard her curiously as well.

"Why are you calling a meeting to tell us something now?" Lucy clarified with a frown of her own "What changed?"

The old man glanced reluctantly up at the pair of them, as Happy and Levy looked on curiously, obviously just as baffled as their friends. Finally, he sighed and admitted "Honestly, I was hoping that this would work so the pair of you would be back to normal for this...meeting. Now I'm going to have to re-think some things."

Lucy's frown deepened, but Makarov held up a hand to silence her "Save it for tomorrow. I'm not saying anything else today."

Natsu scowled "Oi, what makes you think you can just-"

"Boy, I am your _Master_ ," the wizard saint snapped fiercely "Now do as you're told and shut your trap! This is bigger than just the two of you, and I'm still not sure how it all fits together yet."

The dragon slayer was still scowling, but it was obvious that he was taken aback by his master's outburst; enough so that he didn't object when Makarov spun on heel and marched off down the path, quickly disappearing from view.

"Stupid old man," Natsu grumbled, but his heart clearly wasn't in it as he watched the mage go.

"I'd better go too," Levy said with a tired sigh, offering the three of them a weak smile.

Lucy reached out and took the girl's hand, squeezing it gently "Thanks, Levy. And please, don't beat yourself up, okay?"

Tearing himself away from his preoccupation, Natsu flashed the girl a brief smile and said "Yeah, you're a great friend, Levy."

Levy's eyes appeared suspiciously wet as she looked at both of her friends and nodded before hurrying away. Lucy watched her go, smiling a little when she saw Gajeel step out of the tree line to accompany her back into town. Apparently he had decided to wait for her. Idly, Lucy wondered just what kind of excuse he had used on the girl to explain his presence there.

* * *

It was well past midnight, and still Natsu hadn't managed to catch a wink of sleep. Instead, he watched the shadows stretch and grow as the moon traced it's way across the sky, his mind uncharacteristically plagued with worries.

Things were looking grim on the magic front, now that Levy's spell had gone bust in the face of the wishing star's power. Even Gray's admittedly clever 'plan b' of trying to recharge the star itself had failed. It was as though fate were conspiring against them returning to their proper selves, and it weighed heavily on the dragon slayer's mind.

It wasn't the first time he'd wondered what they would do if he and Lucy never got their magic back, but Makarov's ominous, and frankly worried tone earlier that day dragged Natsu's mind right back to the subject. It turned the idea over and over, worrying at it like a dog with a bone. The man missed his magic, but, frankly, what really worried him was the dread certainty that the guild about to charge headfirst into a fight once more, but this time, he had a feeling that he and Lucy were going to be side-lined for the duration.

The very idea irked him to the core. There was still gods knew who potentially after Lucy, but neither of them were likely to be allowed to do anything about it.

Frustrated, but unable to do anything about it, a small growl escaped Natsu. Beside him in the dark, Lucy stirred, and he immediately fell still, not wanting to wake her. As he listened, the girl's breath hitched and he felt her hand clutch convulsively at his arm, which he had wrapped around her shoulders. Lucy flinched, and made a quiet choking sound as she tossed her head to the side, nearly clipping him in the jaw.

"Lucy, you're alright," Natsu said, voice low as he leaned over and dropped a kiss on her forehead, running one hand soothingly through her hair. She seemed to hear him through her dreams, as she turned her head slightly, allowing him the opportunity to press a feather-light kiss to her waiting lips.

She sighed against them, and finally settled, dropping into true sleep once more as Natsu watched over her awhile longer to be sure the nightmare didn't return.

Well, whatever came their way, they would have each other, and they had overcome worse problems with less. He'd gladly give up his magic all over again if he knew it meant being able to have this with Lucy.

* * *

The meeting the next morning was a cramped affair in Makarov's office at the guild. The tiny room had been magically expanded, but apparently spellwork could only bend the laws of physics so far.

Still, they'd managed to squeeze one of the tables in, along with a few benches so the assembled group of mages there by invitation could sit as they waited for their Master to arrive. Lucy, Happy and Natsu were squeezed in at one end of the table, the dragon slayer against the wall while his girlfriend was pressed shoulder to shoulder between him and Levy. Happy had made himself comfortable on the table in front of his friends.

Gajeel sat on the solid script mage's other side, but Lucy was too distracted trying to catch Erza's eye to be entertained by the, frankly, adorable awkwardness of the would-be couple next to her.

No matter how she leaned, or waved subtly, though, Erza seemed to be quite pointedly looking everywhere _but_ at Lucy, and the girl felt ready to jump up over the table and tackle the woman. She'd missed the opportunity to speak to her on the matter of her apartment yesterday, distracted as she was by their failed attempt to undo the spell she and Natsu were under, but the requip mage wouldn't get away today!

When the door opened and Makarov entered with two others, though, Lucy resigned herself to accosting Erza as soon as the meeting was over.

Looking around the room at the assembled mages, Makarov nodded to himself, clearly satisfied that everyone he had invited was in attendance. Besides Natsu and herself, Lucy noted that Gray, Mira, Wendy, Juvia, Carla, Cana, Laxus and his team, and a few other key members of Fairy Tail were all seated around the table. Even more interesting, though, were the two that had entered behind them.

Though they were both wearing hooded cloaks, Lucy's nose told her who they were almost immediately, so she was a little less surprised than her guildmates when princess Hisui and Arcadios lowered their hoods and took a seat at the table. Hisui took the one at the head of the table, with her knight seated directly to her right, while Makarov walked down it's length and claimed the chair at the foot.

At the sight of them, Natsu immediately straightened beside her, a thoughtful expression on his face that made Lucy wonder if he knew something that she didn't. He must have felt her looking at him, because he glanced at her and grinned before looping his arm around her reassuringly.

"Thank you all for coming," Hisui began a moment later after waiting for the surprised chatter at her appearance die down. Lucy couldn't blame everyone for their shock at the princess' presence at the guild. Not only was she wearing a cloak, but she and Arcadios both were dressed very plainly to avoid drawing attention. Perhaps most notable, though, was the fact that Hisui had dyed her distinctive, jade colored hair a dark brown for her apparently highly secret outing.

"I know this must all seem highly irregular to you," the princess continued as she smiled kindly at the assembled mages "But I have a mission of great import that I feel I can trust only to Fairy Tail in these worrying times. Your Master, Makarov, has been kind enough to indulge me in this meeting, as well as with his continued consultation on important matters of state."

Almost as one, the entire table of mages turned their attention from the princess, to their Master, who cleared his throat and said "Save any questions for later, brats. For the moment, give the princess your full attention, and though I shouldn't have to say it, I will anyways; _none_ of what we speak of here today is to leave this room, understood?"

The old man looked stern around at his 'children' while everyone nodded readily and murmured some form of agreement to this stricture.

Hisui smiled again as the chatter died down, and everyone once again gave her their attention "First of all, I would like to say that this mission which I am about to offer of your guild, is _not_ an official order from your government, but a request from a fellow mage. It must never be known that I was here, asking this of you, or the consequences for our entire nation could be quite dire. If anyone is uncomfortable with this, then we will not pass judgment on you, but I do ask that you leave now."

No one moved. If possible, everyone looked even more interested than before.

"Alright then," Hisui said with a nod when no one got up to leave "I have come here today to alert you all to a very grave threat, which one of your number has already had a first hand encounter with," here, the princess' attention went to Lucy, who perked up curiously while Natsu's arm tightened protectively around her.

"I would like to apologize to you, Lucy. I am afraid that the men who attacked you and Yukino were sent, in part, because I declined a marriage proposal from King Edmund of Telmare," the princess explained unhappily "Had I realized he would make such a dire attempt in the wake of my rejection, I would have sent warning..."

Lucy quickly waved off the other woman's apologies "Hey, it's alright, you didn't know! Don't apologize because you don't think like a murderous psycho," the blonde said with an anxious chuckle "It all turned out okay in the end," she added, turning slightly to smile at her boyfriend, who looked grim.

"I wish it had turned out okay, but I'm afraid that things are far from over," Hisui said with a sad smile "Whichever direction King Edmund's plans wind up taking, I have come to the conclusion that his goal is to conquer Fiore as stepping stone to the rest of the continent."

The room erupted into chaos, then, every mage trying to speak at once, crying out in alarm, or demanding answers in turn. Lucy clapped her hands over her sensitive ears, and Gajeel looked as though he were fighting the urge to do the same. Across the table from them, Wendy flinched while Carla shouted something none of them could make out over the din. Natsu looked fierce as he leaned over the table and made a comment along the lines of "Let him try!"

The princess desperately raised her hands in an attempt to get their attention once more, but the mages had turned amongst themselves now, discussing and arguing, until Arcadios slammed his hands on the table and bellowed for quiet.

This finally seemed to do the trick, and the room gradually quieted once more.

"We do apologize, Princess," Erza said over a few lingering comments made by her companions "But your news is certainly...worrying. What makes you believe that an invasion is imminent? And even if it is, how could he possibly achieve it?"

"Telmare is across the Western Sea from us, do you really think an invasion force could make it across there now?" Levy asked, a frown on her delicate features as she leaned around Gajeel so she could be seen.

"Levy has a point," Mirajane agreed thoughtfully, more knowledgeable than some of her guildmates when it came to geography "That sea is notoriously difficult to cross. It's why we do so little trading with them, let alone war making. Between the erratic, powerful storms, and the sea monsters that supposedly live there...it's no easy crossing. Why would he try now?"

Hisui regarded both women with a rueful expression on her fair features "All good points, unfortunately, I fear that he may have found a way to circumvent crossing the sea to get to us..."

"Hold on," Laxus said, deep voice cutting across the conversation as he finally chimed in, face as grim as ever "What makes you think that he wants to invade in the first place? Because you turned down his marriage offer? No offense princess, but is it something he'd go to war over?"

Arcadios scowled down the length of the table at the lightning mage, but it had little effect on the man, who ignored the knight entirely as he regarded the princess with dark eyes.

Hisui reached out and laid a gentle hand on Arcadios' shoulder "It's a fair question," she chided him quietly before turning her attention back to Laxus and the others "Fifty years ago, Telmare was a small country, smaller even than Fiore," the princess began "though just as rich in magic. King Edmund's father, however, changed all that. Before his death some fifteen years ago, he succeeded in conquering three quarters of the western continent."

There was a general murmur from the crowd, and someone even let out a low whistle before Makarov glared around at the lot of them and they fell silent once more.

"Immediately following his father's death, Edmund ascended to the throne, and continued what the Telmaran's considered their holy quest to spread their beliefs across the world. Five years ago, they succeeded in gaining control of the entire continent. The marriage proposal that was made to me recently by their king was, I believe, their 'plan a' to gain a foothold here on the eastern continent so they may do the same here."

Quiet settled over the room for a moment, but was soon broken by Natsu as he asked "So, what's 'plan b' then?"

Everyone's attention swung from the dragon slayer, back to the princess, and watched her expectantly. Hisui hesitated for a moment, before answering "I have only...a suspicion, at this point, you must understand," she glanced around the table again, then continued "Several years ago, while most of you in this room were still trapped on Tenrou Island, I harnessed the eclipse gate in an attempt to travel back in time and kill the wizard Zeref before he could attain immortality and change our world forever."

The group as a whole nodded, well remembering the aftermath of _that_ debacle. Much to Hisui's relief, though, no one seemed keen on pointing out what a mess her plan had devolved into.

"Well, in the process of researching the project, I came across a very old legend from Telmare," the princess continued, frowning at the memory "The texts I found mention of it in were vague and disconnected, so I did not pursue it very far."

"This legend, what did it say?" Erza asked with a keen curiosity as she leaned forward to rest her elbows on the table before her, watching the princess closely.

The woman in question shrugged helplessly "Only that there is a very ancient gate, a sister to our Eclipse gate, in Telmare that supposedly allows one to travel anywhere their heart desired, so long as one had the power...and the keys."

When Hisui's gaze strayed meaningfully to Lucy, the blonde grimaced and wanted to drag her hands down her face, though she resisted the urge. Sometimes, she felt, the Zodiac keys were _almost_ more trouble than they were worth. Almost. From the way Natsu was looking at her, she could tell he was thinking along much the same lines.

"Just how old _are_ these keys, anyways?" the dragon slayer murmured in an aside to her, to which Lucy could only shrug in answer. No one quite knew the answer to that question, or even who had first forged them, if such a thing had been done. As far as she knew, no celestial mage had ever been able to get a straight answer out of the spirits on the matter. New keys for the lesser constellations and attached spirits could be made by anyone with the know-how, but the zodiac keys were special, and very, _very_ old.

"So the gate; you think this King is trying to open it so he can march his army in and take over without having to bother with crossing the ocean?" Gray asked as he leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his bare chest as he regarded the princess curiously.

"That is my theory," Hisui said with a nod, before spreading her hands helplessly and admitting "However, it is just that, a theory. For all I know, this gate doesn't even exist, and the attack on Lucy might be entirely unrelated to the motives of the Telmare government. That's why I need your help. I ask that a small group of you, who would be willing to cross the Western Sea to Telmare, find out just what it is King Edmund is planning to do, if anything, and stop him. All this _without_ alerting anyone to your presence, or at least where you are from and who sent you."

"Tall order," Gajeel muttered, to which Levy nodded her agreement.

The mages all briefly discussed things among themselves, though it only took Lucy a brief glance at Natsu to know that he was on board. He was dead set on getting to the bottom of who it was that had tried to kill her, however many oceans he had to cross. He noticed her looking, and his grim expression cracked into a smile that eased her nerves a bit. In front of her, Happy smiled back over his shoulder at the couple, clearly unworried by all the doom and gloom talk.

Her boys. Some days she couldn't tell if they were suicidal, or just mad, but she loved them all the same.

Makarov raised a hand, then, and the discussion died down once more. When it had, he addressed the princess "I think I can safely say that everyone here is willing to help, official request or no." The old man looked around the table at his brats, all of whom nodded or smiled their agreement to this statement. "That being the case, why don't you tell us everything we need to know?"

Hisui looked immensely relieved at the wizard saint's words, and she smiled at everyone gathered around the table before turning to Arcadios "Do you have the packets I prepared?" she asked. The man reached under his cloak into a satchel and pulled out a stack of slim folders, then passed them around.

"Take one and pass it down," the knight instructed "Read it, memorize it, and then burn them, please. This is everything we know about King Edmund, as well as our theories and gathered information on what he might be planning. This is not something we want falling into enemy hands."

Lucy and Natsu took one each, though Happy opted to just share with Natsu. The dragon slayer opened the slim file and flipped through it quickly. It was mostly writing, and he grimaced at the thought of not only having to read it all, but memorize it as well.

Beside him, Lucy made a small choking noise, as though she had tried to yelp and gasp at the same time.

"You okay, Luce?" he asked, raising an eyebrow as he patted her on the back. The girl had gone deathly pale and wide-eyed as she stared at the contents of her own folder "What's wrong?" he asked, immediately concerned by the expression on her face.

Lucy tore her eyes from the papers before her and pushed her open folder towards him with a shaking hand. Natsu pulled it in close, and scanned the page she had opened to, but couldn't find anything particularly upsetting. The contents of the page seemed to be primarily a history of Fiore's interactions with Telmare...until Lucy reached out again and tapped the small black and white picture in the lower left hand corner of the sheet, which was labeled in small, fine print 'King Edmund of Telmare'.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me!" Natsu exclaimed after a moment of shocked silence, drawing the attention of the entire table.

Staring up at him from the crisp, white sheet of paper, was a photograph of Johnathan Hawkes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops, I cliffhangered again! Sorry I'm not sorry, haha X'D
> 
> And come on, now, you guys really thought Lucy and Natsu's problem was going to be that easy to fix?
> 
> Make sure to drop a review if you enjoyed! My muse needs all the help it can get to keep pumping these chapters out!
> 
> Also as a random side note, I updated the story summary to include some of the drama that has happened since I first posted it. A few people had said that it didn't really do justice to the fic, but I just hate spoiling things that I haven't posted yet! X'D


	22. Shop til You Drop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got some great feedback last chapter, thanks so much to everyone that reviewed! So glad the plot twist is exciting everyone, haha!  
> Not a lot to say here this time around, I'm feeling kinda brain dead, lol. This technically only got the one major edit (though it did have a lot of mid-chapter editing), so I apologize for any errors that remain. Instead of editing sunday night I decided it was better to stay up reading Terry Prachett until three in the morning...  
> As per usual, please leave a review if you enjoy, they definitely help keep me inspired to write!

Natsu surged to his feet, nearly upsetting the entire bench. Acting quickly, Gajeel wrapped an arm around Levy to keep her from toppling over, while Lucy threw a hand to the wall to stabilize them, and Happy clung to the table for dear life.

"I'm gonna kill that bastard!" the rose haired dragon slayer snarled as he struggled to free himself from his corner spot, though he was thoroughly blocked in by the cramped seating arrangements.

"Natsu, stop!" the exceed cried as he clambered off the table and into Lucy's lap.

"The hell is wrong with you?" Gajeel snapped angrily while Lucy absently made room for Happy, and returned her gaze to the photograph that had so shocked her. She knew she really ought to be trying to calm her boyfriend down before he tore the room apart, but her head was spinning and something in the back of her mind was trying very determinedly to make her pay attention. Something, she was beginning to realize, was off about the man in the photo...

In the background, Makarov was shouting at Natsu to calm down, and Erza was on her feet threatening to throw him out if he didn't stop making a fool of himself. Laxus just rolled his eyes, but kept a firm hand on the table to prevent it knocking into anyone as the younger dragon slayer struggled against it.

"Natsu!" she cried out, succeeding in attracting his attention where he had simply snarled at everyone else "Natsu it's not him!"

"What?" he demanded, anger abating a little in the wake of her words to be replaced with disbelief and confusion, mirrored by the exceed in his girlfriend's lap "But it looks just like him!"

Turning to the princess, Lucy picked up the sheet of paper and pointed at it "Your Highness, this picture, when was it taken?"

Hisui blinked in confusion, Natsu's outburst having taken her even more off guard than the other mages in the room. The princess flipped through her folder to the correct page and took a closer look at the same portrait.

"Within the last year, I believe," she remarked, glancing to Arcadios for confirmation, to which he nodded "Why?"

"Does the king have a brother?" Lucy asked keenly, excitement rushing through her in anticipation of the answer "A younger one? Or maybe a cousin that looks like him?"

"He does have a brother," Hisui answered slowly, eyeing the blonde curiously "From what my sources have gathered, though, the prince has not been in Telmare for several years. No one knows _where_ he is."

Everyone was flipping to the same page, now, curious as to what all the fuss was about. Erza and Mirajane both made little noises of surprise, though everyone else remained in the dark.

"Why, it's that horrible client that wanted his money back!" Mirajane exclaimed.

"No, it's not," Erza countered as she took a moment longer to examine the photo more thoroughly "The man in this picture is at least forty. The other couldn't have been more than thirty, thirty-five at the very most."

"Will someone _please_ explain what all the fuss is about," Makarov demanded, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance as he felt a headache coming on.

"Master, the client who sent us on the quest for the wishing star is the prince of Telmare," Lucy declared, grim, but excited for the unexpected clue that might lead them towards getting her and Natsu back to normal.

The old man gave her a startled glance "You're sure?" he asked, expression serious now as his brow furrowed worriedly at this news.

"As sure as I can be, I guess," Lucy admitted with a shrug "All I know is that Johnathan Hawkes is the absolute spitting image of this man," she said, pointing emphatically at the picture of Edmund.

"I think it's about time we went back and paid Johnny boy a visit," Natsu said with a grim, almost frightening smile as he climbed to his feet once more, carefully this time, before offering his hand to Lucy.

The blonde looped one arm around Happy before accepting Natsu's help readily, but before she could even get to her feet, Makarov interjected "Absolutely not."

"What?!" Natsu demanded angrily as he rounded on the old man "Gramps, we _have_ to go! What if this guy is the one that tried to kill Lucy instead of the King? We can't just let him walk around free and wait for him to try again!"

"Natsu, please, your master is right. You three can't be the ones to go investigate for that very reason. For all we know, he might be waiting for you to do just that," Hisui insisted gently just as Makarov looked ready to shout at the dragon slayer "The prince being here in Fiore is a wild card I haven't accounted for in my plan. The fact that he was apparently here in pursuit of an object that is capable of granting wishes..." the princess' brow creased with worry as she mulled over this new information in an attempt to make it fit into the larger picture.

After a moment, the woman shook herself and turned to Makarov and said "I suggest sending someone to scout out his residence and discover if he is still there, or if he has already fled. Just one person should do. If he is still there, then they can contact Arcadios and we will send forces and arrest him. Whether he is the one that made the attempt on Lucy and Yukino's lives or not, foreign royalty being in another country unannounced is highly suspect. The national community won't complain if we take him into custody."

The guild master nodded, and glanced around the table thoughtfully before pointing to Gajeel and saying "Get the address from Mirajane and then head out first thing in the morning. You know how this works."

The iron dragon slayer nodded as Natsu cast a livid glare at their Master. He was prevented saying anything, though, by Levy unexpectedly speaking up.

"Master, if you don't mind, I would like permission to accompany him," the bluenette said, raising a hand to catch his attention over the chatter that had begun to break out over the table. At her words, everyone's attention swiveled to focus in on her, making the woman blush.

She was clearly determined, though, as she didn't so much as flinch when Makarov asked "Why? This isn't the first time I've had Gajeel doing this sort of work for the guild. He can handle himself."

The slayer in question seemed torn between surprise and a desire to strangle his master to keep the man from discouraging his crush from coming along.

"O-oh, I know!" Levy reassured both men hurriedly, flashing Gajeel a shy smile in an attempt to reassure him that she didn't doubt his abilities in the slightest "It's just that, if this Johnathan is the person who sent Lucy and Natsu on the quest to find the wishing star in the first place, then he might have some more information on it. Given the failure of our last attempt to undo the wish, I was thinking that the next logical step would be to do some further research into the star itself, since it's effects are apparently more deeply rooted than any of us expected."

Gajeel blinked down at her, and then across to their Master, before saying "Girl's got a point. If we want these two idiots back to normal," here, he jerked his head towards Natsu and Lucy, the former making a face at him while the latter simply rolled her eyes "she should come along. I won't know what kind of stuff to look for."

Makarov thought on the matter for a moment, before finally nodding reluctantly and saying "Alright, both of you catch the first train out there in the morning, then, and be careful."

Both mages nodded and grinned at one another, then flushed with embarrassment and averted their eyes, each trying to pretend it was no big deal.

Natsu, on the other hand looked ready to explode "So _they_ get to go, but-" his words were cut short by Lucy laying a hand on his arm and shaking her head.

This wouldn't have been enough to stop him if she hadn't grabbed the collar of his vest and dragged down to her level to whisper in his ear "Let them have it, Natsu. Levy finally gets her mission out with Gajeel this way, and we owe her for all the work she's done. She'd do a better job than us at spotting useful information anyways."

The dragon slayer grumbled, but one look at the bluenette on the other side of his girlfriend was enough to show him just how excited the shy girl was. The worried glance she stole in his direction was the final nail in the coffin. She was clearly dying to go on this mission, if not for the task itself, then for the opportunity to spend some time with Gajeel.

"Ugh, fiiiiiine," he groused as he plopped back down onto the bench once more. When he had, Lucy leaned over and planted a grateful kiss on his cheek, making Happy squeak an objection as he was squished briefly between them. Natsu flashed her a rueful grin.

"Well, that's settled then," Makarov said with a tired wave of his hand, infinitely grateful that Lucy seemed to have a firm hand on the notoriously short tempered dragon slayer. Natsu having a girlfriend was certainly making things easier for the old master "Is there anything else, Princess?"

Hisui shook her head and said "No, that should be everything for the group. All I ask is that everyone remember what was said earlier: Memorize these files as needed, and then burn them. Do _not_ throw them away."

There was a general murmur of assent before Makarov spoke up again "Alright then, brats, get out of here. I'll be choosing a small team from among you for this mission. I'll let you know who's been chosen, as well as further details soon."

It took a minute, but eventually everyone but the Master, Hisui, and Arcadios had filed out of the room, and most were now milling about the bar. Natsu, Happy, and Lucy were some of the last ones out, and the blonde was already on the hunt for Erza.

"Now where did she go..." she muttered to herself as she narrowed her eyes ominously.

"Hey Lucy," Natsu asked in an attempt to catch his girlfriend's attention.

"Yeah?" she replied distractedly, wondering if she shouldn't head up the stairs so she could get a better look over the crowd of people. It'd be just her luck if the red head had already managed to sneak out and make a run for it. She _had_ been one of those seated closest to the door...

"You wanna go on a date?"

 _That_ got Lucy's attention "W-what?!" she asked, startled as she tore her gaze from the crowd to look back at Natsu, and an equally shocked Happy. The man was giving her an even look, un-bothered by her surprised reaction.

"A date. Boyfriends ask their girlfriends on dates, right?" he asked, showing the first sign of uncertainty at the question.

"Well...yeah," Lucy said, blushing as he watched her with intense, charcoal eyes. He broke out in a grin at her answer, then, and the blonde felt her heart skip a beat at the sight of it. It wasn't that she didn't want to go out on a date with Natsu. _Of course_ she did. Like he said, that's what couples did. The question had simply taken her by surprise. After all, they'd been going out for about a week now, but they hadn't really had the chance for an actual date thanks to their self-imposed exile to his house for their own safety.

"Right! Things look like they're about to get pretty busy, so I just thought..." the dragon slayer's expression darkened briefly as his sentence petered off unfinished, and Lucy knew exactly what he was thinking.

Now might be their last chance to go out on a date for quite some time.

"I'd love to," Lucy agreed hurriedly, smiling up at him in a way that brought the grin back to his own face.

"Alright. Meet me back here at six tonight!" He instructed, then hurried off without so much as a goodbye.

She watched him go, amusement and affection for the ridiculous man filling her as she did. Before he even made it to the door, though, Natsu stopped, turned around, and rushed right back towards her.

"Something wrong?" Lucy asked when he reached her.

"Just forgot something," he admitted with a smile before leaning in and stealing a kiss, leaving her breathless. When he broke contact, he snapped her a flippant salute, grinned, and then hurried off once more.

"Natsu's silly," Happy noted with some amusement as he hovered nearby.

"Yeah," Lucy admitted "I like it though."

"Good thing someone does," a familiar voice from behind the pair commented, making Lucy look around to spot Cana there, who grinned knowingly "So, finally going on your first date, huh? I can't believe it took him a whole week to ask!" the card user mused as she took a pull from a flask that she fetched from the depths of her purse "What kind of guy asks a girl to be his girlfriend _before_ asking her on a date?"

"Natsu does," Happy pointed out with a laugh.

Lucy would have defended her boyfriend, but she couldn't help but agree with her friends. The whole situation was as nonsensical as it got, but that was Natsu for you. She wouldn't have him any other way.

"We've been busy training, anyways," the blonde said, waving off the subject their rather belated date.

"Oh, is that what the kids are calling it these days?" Cana said slyly "I heard from Gray just what sort of 'training' you and Natsu were up to yesterday...have to admit, I never would have thought 'ol pinkie had it in him!"

"Cana! Shh!" Lucy hissed, flushing at the mention of the rather compromising position she and the dragon slayer had been caught in the day before. Unfortunately, the noise only succeeding in attracting Mirajane's attention as she passed by on her way to the bar.

"Ooh, Lucy's blushing! Something good must be going on!" the silver haired mage observed with a cheeky wink as she turned to Cana for answers, ignoring the blonde's attempts to shoo her away while Happy laughed.

"Damn right! Natsu finally asked Lucy on an official date for tonight," Cana supplied, leaving out Gray's tattling, much to the former celestial mage's relief. She'd definitely be having some _words_ with the ice mage later.

"Really?" Mira asked, lighting up excitedly before frowning a bit and saying "Only just now? But he was..." the woman shook her head and smiled again "Congrats, Lucy! What will you be doing? Ooh! What are you going to wear?"

"I don't know, actually," Lucy admitted with a blink "He didn't say where we were going, just to meet him back here at six tonight. As for what I'll wear..." the blonde frowned thoughtfully "I'll have to see what I've got back at my apartment. Luckily I left all my cute stuff there, figured I wouldn't need it at Natsu's."

"Typical," Cana snorted when Lucy admitted that her boyfriend hadn't let her in on his plan for the evening.

Mirajane, on the other hand, focused on the latter problem "What? You can't wear something old, Lucy!" she exclaimed "This is really important; your first date with Natsu! Don't you want something new and really cute to wow him with?"

"A new dress _would_ be nice..." Lucy admitted with a wistful smile. She hadn't been shopping in what felt like ages. She grimaced, though, when she admitted "New or not, though, I bet Natsu won't even notice," with a roll of her eyes. Boys, they just didn't appreciate the trouble girls went through making themselves look nice.

"She's got you there," the card mage said with a laugh "Men are always dense when it comes to that stuff, and Natsu, unfortunately, even more so."

Mira winced, but wasn't able to deny this fact. She did, however, say "Well, maybe you're right, but you know what? _You'll_ know it's a new dress, right? A new dress always makes a girl feel fabulous, and even if men don't notice the dress, they notice the difference in how you act!"

Happy looked skeptical at this line of reasoning, but Lucy was sold after a moment's consideration "Oh alright, why not! It _is_ a special occasion! You guys want to come shopping with me?" she invited with a smile.

"Did someone say shopping?"

Erza's sudden appearance at her elbow made Lucy jump. Honestly, she really ought to have known that just mentioning shopping would bring the other woman running. She'd have to keep that in mind the next time she had a bone to pick with the requip mage.

"I did, but before that, I want to talk to you about those contractors!" Lucy said, rounding on the red head, looking fierce "Look, I really appreciate it, Erza, but you can't just pay for all the repairs! You have to let me pay you back," she insisted.

The older woman just smiled down at her and shook her head "Absolutely not."

"But it was thousands of jewel!" Lucy countered, tone verging dangerously on a whine.

"I said don't worry about it. It's what friends do."

"If you're just doing it because you feel guilty about training last week-" Lucy's words were cut off by Erza pressing a finger to her lips.

"Just let it go, Lucy. I wanted to, and now it's done. With how much time we all spend there, it was only right for me to chip in a little money to help fix it up," Erza replied with a tone of finality that sucked the righteous wind right from Lucy's sails.

"Fine," she huffed reluctantly, figuring she'd just have to find some _other_ way to pay the woman back, before changing the subject back to her imminent date "So, I was going to go dress shopping for my date tonight. Do you want to come?"

"Yes please," the requip mage said, her starry-eyed anticipation making the other women laugh.

* * *

Though there was almost six hours until Lucy's date with Natsu, Mira insisted that they leave immediately to go shopping, which everyone agreed to readily. Before they left, though, the women added to their number Wendy, Carla, and Juvia. Cana opted to skip out on the shopping in favor of getting a drink, but promised to meet up with them later. Likewise, Levy was invited, but was forced to decline in favor of getting packed for her trip first thing in the morning. On top of that, Gajeel had insisted that he come over and help to make sure she had everything he thought she might need on a mission with him.

Realizing that Levy had her own fish to catch, Lucy smiled and gave the girl her ready blessing when she tried to apologize before heading off with the others.

Juvia seemed surprised to be invited on their outing, but cheerfully agreed to come along, despite not being entirely sure what the purpose of their day out was to be. This drove a little pang of guilt into Lucy's heart when she realized that, though they were indeed friends, she never really spent much time with the water mage outside of jobs. Making up her mind to rectify that starting that very moment, Lucy, followed by the other girls, eagerly dragged Juvia off into the town with them.

"So what is it we are doing?" Juvia asked curiously as the group entered the first clothing shop they came to when they reached the shopping district. She looked around at the array of colorful clothing while the others descended on the racks. It wasn't that she never went clothes shopping, she definitely did, the water mage had simply never approached it with as much excitement as her companions seemed to be.

Lucy smiled at her and said "Well, I'm going on a date with Natsu tonight, and Mira insisted that I have something new to wear for the occasion." The blonde glanced around for the woman in question, and found her at a distant rack of glittering gowns and called "Nothing _formal_ Mira!"

The S-class mage looked around guiltily and said "Oh alright."

The blonde rolled her eyes while Juvia watched the exchange with interest "So, what does one wear on a date?" she asked, stepping up to a nearby clothing rack, apparently willing to help if it meant keeping Lucy taken by Natsu so she wouldn't be tempted by Gray.

"Oh, something cute, usually," Lucy said, tugging a couple of things out to get a better look at them before continuing "Nicer than what you would wear normally, but not _too_ nice, you know? It's not like we're going anywhere formal," a thought occurred to the blonde as she added "I assume..."

"It's probably a pretty safe assumption," Erza chimed in from nearby.

"Natsu definitely doesn't seem the type to go to a fancy restaurant or the opera," Wendy agreed, her blue pigtails only just visible over the top of one of the racks.

"Yeah, you're probably right," Lucy chuckled in agreement and went back to her search.

The group spread out across the store, some of them proving to be more useful in Lucy's search than others. Wendy's taste just didn't quite run along the same lines as her's, and Erza quickly got distracted by the shoe section. Mira, as Lucy had anticipated, was the most on point of the lot of them, weeding through the selection with the quick efficiency of an experienced shopper and picking out things she thought Lucy would like.

Happy did his best to help in their quest, bringing her things he thought were pretty. His selections varied wildly in style, but all of them seemed to feature sequins or other sparkling details. He sighed in disappointment when she declined yet another of his selections.

"But it's so shiny!" he objected, clutching a glittery top with a plunging neckline that left little to the imagination, even by Lucy's standards. While it had only a little fabric to make up the front, it had none at all on the back. Instead it had a silk cord to lace it up, leaving the wearer's back all but bare.

"Well, yes, Happy, it's very pretty," Lucy said with a wry smile "I just...prefer to have a little more coverage in my shirts."

"We're not shopping for swimsuits," Carla remarked as she drifted past, making her fellow exceed heave a sigh of defeat and flutter off to return the shirt to the rack he had found it on.

"Lucy, what do you think of this one?"

The blonde glanced around to find Juvia approaching with a dress in hand. The bluenette held it up so Lucy could get a proper look at it, and she 'oohed' appreciatively.

The dress was a pale shade of aquamarine in a babydoll cut with a full, lacy skirt and short sleeves made of the same material. It was, frankly, adorable, and certainly the cutest thing they had come across so far.

As Lucy reached out to take the dress from Juvia, though, she noticed the way the water mage's pale fingers clutched the hanger, and lingered appreciatively over the soft fabric of the blouse section. She hesitated a moment, then smiled at the other woman and said "It's gorgeous, Juvia. But, you know, I think it'd look better on you than me."

Juvia blinked and glanced down hopefully at the dress "Do you think so?" before glancing guiltily up at the blonde and insisting "But we're here to find you something to wear on your date with Natsu, _you_ should have it," as she pushed the dress towards her in an effort to make her take it.

Lucy just waved it off, though, and said with a grin "Don't worry, I'll find something. This is only our first stop, after all. You should at least try it on."

The water mage bit her lip and lowered her arms slightly, looking down at the dress in her hands with wistful longing "Do you...do you think Gray would like it?"

Lucy decided that she might as well be up front with the girl, and said "Well, honestly, I think Gray might be even worse than Natsu at noticing clothes" at the bluenette's downcast look, though, she hurried to add "But! It's like Mira was telling me earlier: _You'll_ know it's a new dress, and a new dress can really make a girl feel her prettiest. So even if Gray doesn't notice what you're wearing, I'm sure he'd notice the difference in how you act!"

Juvia looked thoughtful, so the blonde continued, hoping to encourage the girl into making the leap "I don't know about you, but wearing something I know makes me look cute always makes me feel a lot more confident. Not because I want to look cute for guys, but because I want to look cute for me. It feels really nice."

"Think of it like armor," Erza remarked with a smile, her arms full of things to try on, though whether any of them were actually for Lucy was a bit of a toss up "I have lots of armor that makes me stronger, or faster, and a good dress can be like armor that makes you more confident and self-assured."

"In my experience, men just can't ignore a woman who's confident. If anything, the more you act like you don't need _them_ , the more they become convinced they need _you,_ " Mirajane said with a chuckle as she approached and passed several pieces of clothing to Lucy, no doubt speaking from experience.

All three women waited for the water mage to come to a decision. Finally, she held the dress to her chest to see how it might look when worn "Juvia will try it," she said with a small, shy smile.

Lucy grinned and ushered the water mage off towards the changing rooms with the others in tow, her own arms full of things to try on.

After trying one new outfit, which she wasn't quite sold on, Lucy stepped out of her changing room to get her friend's opinion "What do you think?" she asked, turning in place for the other girls (and Happy) so they could get the full three-sixty.

"It's pretty!" Happy said brightly from where he sat on Erza's lap, while the red head perched on the edge of a chair, waiting for the 'show'.

"It is cute," the requip mage agreed.

"It does lack a certain something, though," Mira pointed out, eyeing the outfit critically from where she stood.

"Yeah, that's what I thought," Lucy agreed as she looked down at herself and nodded, her opinion confirmed. Before she could go back into her dressing room, though, Juvia came out of her own, looking shy, but pleased as she did.

The water mage certainly had every right to be. The dress suited her to a tee, the color complimenting her coloring perfectly while the cut accentuated her curves. It made her look sweet, with just the right hint of sexy.

"Oh Juvia, it's lovely!" Wendy breathed, clapping delightedly for her fellow bluenette.

"You really think so?" Juvia asked tentatively as she looked down at herself and brushed at the skirt with her slender hands to make it fall right.

"Definitely!" Lucy agreed immediately, smiling brightly at the other woman "Come on, give us a spin!" she said, twirling her finger encouragingly.

Juvia did as requested, blushing faintly as the others clapped as well.

"You know, I saw just the shoes to go with that dress," Erza said, then jumped up and hurried back to the shoe section, dislodging Happy from her lap in her hurry. The exceed grumbled, but let the requip mage go, choosing to simply take over her seat.

"You're going to buy it, right?" Mirajane asked the water mage, who, after a moment, nodded happily.

Lucy grinned to herself, more glad than ever that she'd decided to not take the dress from Juvia. She would have gladly bought it herself, but seeing how happy it made the other woman was far better. Besides, they had plenty of time left to find something for her.

* * *

It took stopping at several more stores, and hours of rifling through clothing racks, but eventually, Lucy found precisely what she was looking for.

Grinning excitedly to herself, the blonde stepped out of the changing room for the umpteenth time that day, and was pleased by the dazzled expressions on her waiting friend's faces.

"I _know_ , right?" she crowed, taking their speechlessness as the compliment it was.

Lucy spun on bare feet, allowing the skirt of the dress to flare out around her, the silken fabric barely a whisper about her thighs, relishing the softness of it against her skin. It was a white, strapless number, with an empire waist and a thin, sky blue sash that cut just under her breasts before ending at a bow on her back. Below that, the skirt fell to a few inches above her knees in a handkerchief hemline. It was made of two layered fabric, the base being a soft, light-weight silk that was overlaid by an even lighter translucent fabric that all but floated around her. The whole thing felt like wearing a cloud, and Lucy was in heaven.

"Lucy, you absolutely have to buy that dress," Mira said giddily after a moment as she jumped to her feet and moved in closer so she could get a better look.

"It really is lovely," Carla agreed with a smile from where she sat beside Wendy and Erza.

"Lucy, you look like an angel!" Happy declared as he fluttered eagerly around her, then landed on her back and flared his wings out for effect.

"She does!" Wendy said with a merry laugh "What a shame you can't just stay like that all night, Happy! Lucy looks extra pretty with your wings."

"Well, I could if you like," the little exceed volunteered, peering up at Lucy as she glanced at him over her shoulder and smiled.

"That's okay. Thanks though," the blonde said with a laugh, suddenly full of nervous excitement as she turned to admire herself in the mirror before Happy disengaged himself and landed on a nearby shelf.

"Juvia thinks that even Natsu will have a hard enough time looking anywhere else as it is," the water mage volunteered with a smile, her own dress stowed in a bag with a new pair of shoes at her feet.

"True," Erza remarked with a laugh before glancing around at the clock "Goodness, three o'clock already!"

"Seriously?" Mira cried, glancing around to see herself before hurriedly ushering Lucy back into the changing room "Time for admiring later, then! We've still got to go get your nails done!"

Lucy blinked, but did as instructed, quickly, though carefully, taking off her new dress and changing back into her own clothes "What, nails too?"

"Of course!" the silver haired woman said as though this were the most obvious thing in the world.

The dress wound up being quite expensive, but, Lucy decided, well worth the investment. Anything that made you feel like a goddess while wearing it was worth putting down the extra cash for, in her opinion. Luckily, she did at least already own a pair of shoes that she knew would go perfectly with it, so she wasn't forced to pay for those as well.

Manicures and pedicures were had by all, with the exception of Happy. The exceed was quite against anyone messing with his claws, though Carla happily indulged. Lucy rather thought that the extra effort on her nails was a little over the top, but, considering how wonderful her dress was, she figured she might as well go the whole nine yards with preparation for her date.

As she relaxed in the chair and watched the woman across the table from her paint her fingernails a pretty shade of blue to go with her dress, Lucy wondered if Natsu was going through anywhere near so much hassle as she was to get ready for their date.

* * *

As it happened, Natsu _was_ going through quite a lot of hassle for his first official date with his girlfriend. Though, thus far, absolutely none of it had to do with his wardrobe.

"Aquarius, you almost done yet?" the dragon slayer called from where he sat on a branch halfway up a tree, trying to get the paper lantern he'd placed there to hang right.

"Shut up! I'm almost there! Don't get your damn panties in a twist," the water bearer shouted back from where she hovered over the surface of the lake, fiddling with a few floating candles.

"Prince, I do believe that this is the last of the lanterns," Virgo said, looking up at Natsu from where she stood at the foot of the tree, her hands folded primly before her.

"Awesome. Thanks, Virgo," the rose haired mage said, flashing her a grin as he finally got the lantern settled, then activated the light spell in it. Satisfied it wasn't going anywhere, he looked around to admire their work.

Virgo had helped him line the rough path that lead from the house down to the lake with many-colored, gently glowing paper lanterns, and Aquarius was working on placing floating candles on the near side of the lake. He had already set up a picnic on a grassy spot along the edge of the shore, food from one of Lucy's favorite restaurants in a basket that had been charmed with a stasis spell to keep it warm and fresh. Slowly but surely, things were falling into place.

He had spent the past week speaking with Lucy's friends about just what he could do for a date. Somehow, the thought of just taking his girlfriend out for dinner like most people did didn't strike him as being _enough_. Like all things he undertook to do in life, Natsu was prone to dialing things up to eleven, so here he was, combining all the most romantic ideas he'd been able to gather from the ladies of the guild.

Granted, this wasn't _all_ of the ideas he'd been given, obviously. Some of them had been rather strange, others absurd, and some just plain unfeasible, even by his over-the-top standards.

Erza had suggested climbing a mountain to have a picnic there and watch the stars, and while it was an interesting idea, Natsu had a feeling that Lucy wouldn't want to climb a mountain on a date. In fact, he wasn't sure _he_ even wanted to climb a mountain for a date. Cana had suggested going to a winery, but neither he nor Lucy were particularly big drinkers. Juvia's dream date had involved ice skating, but Gray was one of the last people that Natsu wanted to ask for help setting up his date, plus he wasn't particularly good at ice skating, and he didn't really want to wind up looking like an idiot.

In the end, Mirajane had given him some of the best ideas, while Levy and Lisanna had helped him trim down his list to some of the more manageable ones that they thought Lucy would actually enjoy. From there, he had picked out his favorites, and today, had gathered up everything he needed.

The dragon slayer dropped down from the tree and pulled a scrap of paper from his pocket to check his list.

"Lets see..." he muttered to himself while Virgo peered over his shoulder and Aquarius drifted up, apparently done with her task "Got a picnic spot, food, blankets to sit on, romantic lighting," here he glanced up and around to double check the lanterns, before glancing out at the lake to see that Aquarius had finished her task. Nodding in satisfaction, he went on "got the drinks, gonna get dressed-"

"And showered," the water bearer cut in sharply.

"Yeah yeah," the dragon slayer said, waving her off "gonna get showered _then_ dressed, then pick up Lucy."

"Sounds as though everything is complete, Prince," Virgo said, her face blank as ever, though her voice pleased.

"What, no flowers?" Aquarius asked skeptically as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked down at Natsu critically.

"Huh?" Natsu asked, thrown for a loop as he looked up at the spirit.

"Flowers," she repeated slowly, as though he were stupid "Don't tell me you're _not_ getting her flowers?"

"It _is_ traditional," Virgo agreed thoughtfully as her master gave the both of them a panicked look.

"What, seriously?!" he demanded, glancing back at his list "No one mentioned any damn flowers!"

"They probably just figured it was a given. What kind of idiot shows up to a date with no flowers?" Aquarius said with a derisive snort.

"Goddammit!" the dragon slayer shouted before turning on heel and running back up the path towards town at a dead sprint.

"Do you figure he even knows what kind of flower she likes?" the mermaid asked her counterpart as they watched Natsu disappear around a bend in the path.

"No, but I think he will manage. The prince always does," Virgo observed, the slightest of smiles tugging at her pale lips as the pair of spirits disappeared in a flash of golden light.

* * *

What with the repairs finally being done, and the fact that her shoes and most of her make-up were there, the girls decided to make Lucy's apartment their base of operations. Lucy had hesitated at suggesting going back there, all things considered, when it hit her that she was going to be accompanied by some of the most powerful women in Fairy Tail. A whole _army_ of ninjas would have trouble coming at her while she was in their company. Plus, she had practically mastered Natsu's magic by this point, so the odds of them getting the drop on her again was slim.

Before heading to the apartment, though, their party went through a slight member swap. A tipsy Cana was added to their little entourage as they passed by the guild, leaving Happy in her place (though not before Mira invited him to spend the night at her house to 'give the lovebirds their space'). While the girls had enjoyed having him along on their shopping spree, he was pointedly not invited to the make-up and dressing portion of the day. Before they left, though, they made the blue exceed promise not to spoil the surprise if he ran into Natsu before Lucy did.

"Girl, get out here already! What'd you do, drown in there?" Cana shouted from the living room, just as Lucy stepped out of her bathroom, wrapped up in a bathrobe.

"Will you stop shouting," the blonde chided with a roll of her eyes as she headed over to her dresser to pick out some appropriate underwear "I had to shave."

"Ooh, hear that, ladies? Lucy had to _shave,_ " the card mage said, raising her eyebrows and grinning suggestively before adding "Trimming the hedges, were we?"

Lucy flushed a deep shade of crimson and pointedly ignored Cana's teasing as she sorted through her underwear drawer in search of a matching set of bra and panties. At the brunette's words, Erza blinked and thought about it for a moment, before a faint blushed crept across her cheeks as well. Wendy looked confused, Carla annoyed, and Juvia joined Erza and Lucy in the blushing department while looking anywhere but at her friends.

"Oh good gods, Cana, no need to be lewd," Mirajane said with an exasperated roll of her eyes from where she rummaged the drawers of Lucy's vanity, picking through her assortment of beauty products.

"Whaaaat, I'm just excited! Lucy's like a little sister to me," Cana said as she sashayed over to the blonde in question and looped an arm around her shoulders to rub cheeks over-affectionately with her "And as a big sister, it's my duty, nay...my _privilege_ to tease her mercilessly on this, the night Lucy finally gets laid."

Lucy spluttered and blushed hotter than ever "I am not!" she objected loudly, waving her hands emphatically in front of her.

"Oh of course you are," Cana said with a sly grin down at the shorter girl "Or you at least think there's a possibility." The grin widened as she added, in a sing-song tone "Cuz if you didn't, _you wouldn't have trimmed the heeedges_!"

Leaning over to whisper in Erza's ear, Wendy asked "What does she mean by 'trimming the hedges'?"

"Um-" the requip mage began with a start, but got no further "We...we'll explain when you're older," she said weakly.

"I'm thirteen!" the young dragon slayer objected, but still Erza gave her no answer. Eventually, Juvia seemed to take pity on her, and leaned in to explain. When she had, Wendy blushed as well, and stammered "O-oh!"

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to," Carla mused, unable to repress a small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"Lucy's gonna get some! Lucy's gonna get some!" Cana cheered, doing a little dance to accompany her chant.

"Come on, Lucy, I'm ready for you," Mira said, pointedly ignoring the card mage's antics as she waved her young friend over and the real work began.

After awhile, the other girls decided that they wanted to try their hands at a make-over as well, but Mirajane flat refused to let anyone interrupt her work on Lucy. So, remembering that the blonde was not the only one who had bought a new dress that day, Erza, Wendy, and Cana all rounded on Juvia.

"Juvia can dress herself!" the water mage exclaimed fearfully as the trio advanced on her with a decidedly mischievous look in their eyes.

"Sure, but what about make-up?" Erza said.

"And hair!" Wendy added, wiggling her fingers in anticipation.

"You know, I bet she'd look great with her hair up," Cana suggested as they all closed in on the bluenette, who yelped as the trio went to work.

"Like sharks when there's blood in the water," Mira remarked with a snort as she carefully went about doing Lucy's make-up, her hands deft and confident in their work. Lucy was a dab hand at make-up herself, but the demon mage was a pro, no doubt thanks to years spent as a model.

"Better her than me," Lucy said with a laugh.

Before the girls had a chance to do more than force Juvia to change into her new dress, there was a knock on the door, making everyone look around in surprise. Only Mira's possession of a supremely steady hand kept her from smearing eye-liner across Lucy's face.

Without being asked, Erza went to the door, a sword appearing silently in her hand in anticipation of trouble. As Lucy's door lacked a peep hole, the woman laid a hand on the knob, waited a breath, and then yanked it open, bringing her sword down hard and fast at the person on the other side.

There was a scream, and the requip mage's sword stopped an inch shy of Levy's head as she stared up at Erza with wide-eyed horror.

"Oh, hello Levy," the red head said with a warm smile down at the younger girl as the sword flashed and disappeared.

"H-hi," the bluenette squeaked, white as a sheet in the wake of her near-death experience. She stumbled a bit as Erza ushered her inside.

"Sorry for the scare, we really can't be too cautious," Erza said kindly as she lead the solid script mage over to the bed and had her sit.

"You okay, Levy?" Lucy asked worriedly once Mira had lowered her hand from her careful work, allowing the blonde a moment to look around at her friend.

"I...yeah. Or I will be once my heart stops trying to explode," the girl said with a weak, rueful laugh as one hand went to her chest in an attempt to calm her pounding heart.

"Finished packing to Gajeel's strict requirements?" Mira asked with a teasing smile to distract Levy from her scare.

"Oh, yes, it wasn't too hard," she said "He kept acting like it was my first mission or something, but I know the sorts of things I need when I go on a job," Levy remarked with an indulgent smile at the thought of the iron dragon slayer.

"So long as you put him in his place," Cana chimed in with a grin "Just cuz he's twice as tall as you, doesn't mean he gets to walk all over you, kid."

Levy laughed as she relaxed and watched the other girls go about their tasks, wondering idly how Juvia could stand having her three friends hover over her so. She looked down and smiled at Carla when the white cat fluttered over and settled down beside her on the bed, clearly having had her fill of make-overs for the moment.

"You know, Lucy," Mira remarked casually, words careful and measured so as not to interrupt her own concentration as she worked "I don't think I've ever heard how you and Natsu met."

If the silver haired mage hadn't been in the middle of applying mascara to the blonde's eyelashes, Lucy would have blinked in surprise.

"Huh? Really? I would have sworn I told you, Mira. Natsu and I met in Hargeon and we wound up leveling half the town, remember? Everyone kept joking about it for days," Lucy said with a snort as she recalled her first week at the guild.

"Oh sure, everyone knows _that,_ " Mirajane said with a wave of her hand as she sat back and sorted through Lucy's make-up "But I never got the details! Like what did he say? What were you doing? This is very important, you know, now that you're dating."

"Yeah, gotta have your origin story down!" Cana said with a chuckle "Any time you go out as a couple now, people are bound to ask how you met. Might as well have the story practiced."

Lucy glanced around the room and noticed that everyone was looking at her keenly, making her blush at the attention.

"Juvia would very much like to hear this story before her torture resumes," the water mage said hopefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BOOM, DOUBLE PLOT TWIST. Haha, you smarty pants thought you had Johnathan aaaaall figured out, didn't you? ;D Just what the heck is that guy's deal, anyways? Well, you'll just have to wait and find out, heh.  
> Boy, lots of dialogue in this one! I do promise we'll get back to some more actiony stuff eventually, but it's gonna be a few chapters. I look forward to it, honestly X'D Writing these scenes with several people in them is hard. I kept having to go back and double check myself because I kept dropping people randomly *drags hands down face* I think this might be one of the most heavily edited chapters so far, lol (even though it only got the one major edit). Hard as it was, though, this was still a fun one to write. This whole section of date-prep with the girls was going to be a lot shorter, initially, but it was nice writing as a wide range of people for a change, so I rolled with it. Hope you guys don't mind!  
> Anyways, please leave a review and let me know what you think! They feed my muse and keep it working! Thanks again to all those that reviewed last time, and to the few new readers we have that have even been leaving reviews on old chapters! You have no idea how happy that makes me ^_^


	23. Suit Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, part two of the 'date night' mini-arc, haha. Hope you all enjoy! Make sure to leave a comment if you do. I promise I read and appreciate every single one I get! They really do make a huge difference in my drive to write. Thanks again to everyone who left a comment last chapter!

"Juvia would very much like to hear this story before her torture resumes," the water mage said hopefully from where she sat, hemmed in by Cana, Erza, and Wendy.  
Lucy laughed and said “Alright, alright. Mira you'd better hold off for a moment, though, not sure how still I can keep and narrate as well.”

“Alright,” the S-class mage said cheerfully as she settled back into her chair, apparently more than happy to take a break from make-up detail if it meant story time.

Clearing her throat, Lucy sat up straight in her chair, taking a moment to gather her thoughts before beginning “Well, it all started in Hargeon a few days after I first ran away from home. I was just planning on passing through while trying to make up my mind on which guild I wanted to join.”

“What, like there was ever any doubt it would be us?” Cana interrupted with a laugh.

“Well, Fairy Tail was definitely at the top of my list, but I had no idea how to even go about joining back then,” the blonde said with a wry smile before shaking her head and pushing on with her story “Anyways, so I was crossing a bridge in town when heard a big commotion on the street below. There was this whole crowd of screaming girls crowding around some guy.”

“Was it Natsu?” Wendy asked curiously, wide eyed as she listened to Lucy's narration.

“From what Juvia has observed of Natsu, girls usually scream only when running away from him, not towards,” the water mage commented to her fellow bluenette, at which the other girls laughed. Lucy tried to scowl in defense of her boyfriend, but couldn't quite manage it. The words rang far too true, humorous or not.

“No, it definitely wasn't Natsu,” the former celestial mage said with a shake of her head “It was some guy claiming to be him though!”

“Seriously? There was a guy pretending to be Natsu?” Levy asked with a blink, not having heard the full story before either.

“I can't imagine why,” Carla drawled, though she was clearly as amused as everyone else.

“You have to admit, he had a pretty impressive reputation, even back then,” Lucy pointed out “ In any case, he wasn't claiming to be Natsu, but he was going by his nickname 'Salamander'. I heard some girls passing by mention the name, so I went to check it out since I'd heard he was a member of Fairy Tail.”

“And naturally you were hoping he'd let you join,” Cana filled in with a grin.

“Naturally,” the blonde agreed, a smile of her own tugging at her lips “When I got there, obviously it wasn't Natsu, but he was a fire magic user, so he had everyone convinced, including me.” Lucy's eyes darkened and her smile fell away at the memory of what she had discovered next. Sensing the change in tone, her friends all leaned in a little closer, waiting for her to continue.

“That wasn't the only kind of magic that guy was using, though,” she finally said with a scowl “When I first set eyes on him, my heart started pounding like crazy,” Lucy admitted reluctantly “I couldn't say a word, and when he looked my way, I thought my knees might give out.”

“Sounds like love at first sight,” Erza commented, brow furrowed as she crossed her legs in front of her, making herself more comfortable in her chair. Curiosity was evident in her brown eyes as she watched her young friend.

“It was, just not the natural kind. The fake Salamander was using charm magic.”

Mirajane, Cana, Erza, and Levy all looked shocked at this revelation, while the others just looked confused.

“What's charm magic?” Wendy asked, glancing at the older women curiously. It was easy enough to tell that it was no good, whatever it was.

“'Charm' is a highly illegal love magic,” Levy explained “It is generally used through some sort of medium, like a bespelled ring, or other token on the user's person. When the spell is activated it forces whoever the user targets to fall head over heels in love with them.” The bluenette looked at Lucy, completely aghast as she asked “What happened then? How did you escape? I didn't think it was even possible, except...”

The blonde's stormy expression lightened at the question, and she continued her tale, saying “Well, that's when Natsu and Happy showed up! They barged through the crowd to get at the fake Salamander, and as soon as they did, the spell just...broke,” she gave a helpless little shrug, then laughed and added “I guess they had heard the rumors about a 'Salamander' in Hargeon and came running, thinking that it might be Igneel.”

“That certainly sounds like Natsu, not even considering that if there were a dragon in the middle of a city, they'd hardly be calling it 'Salamander'. Everyone would be too busy running and screaming 'dragon' at the top of their lungs,” Wendy pointed out with a giggle.

Mira, Levy, Cana, and Erza paid her humorous observation no mind, though, as their gazes remained locked on Lucy.

“So it just...broke as soon as you saw Natsu?” Mira asked a little breathlessly, one hand over her heart.

“Lucy,” Erza began slowly, with infinite patience as she asked “Did the spell break for any of the other girls in the crowd?”

“What?” the blonde asked, confused by the question before thinking back to that day when she had been surrounded by the impostor's bespelled fangirls. If she remembered correctly, they'd all jumped to attack Natsu after she had been freed from the spell “Well, no, now that you mention it,” she admitted. Honestly, after meeting Natsu, she'd hardly given those girls a second thought, considering how she'd wound up dragged into the dragon slayer's antics shortly after. Now, though, she felt a little guilty. Who knew what sort of long term side effects that spell had had on those innocent girls?

The four women all shared a look then turned back to Lucy.

“Could it be?” Mira murmured.

“Well I suppose if it was anyone...” Erza said with a chuckle.

“It would be these two idiots, wouldn't it?” Cana finished for her and laughed before taking a swig from her flask.

“Wow,” Levy said with breathless admiration, a wistful smile on her face.

Disconcerted, Lucy glanced at the other three girls, who still seemed just as in the dark as she was. Feeling a little better about herself when she realized this was the case, the blonde ventured “Er, what are you guys talking about?”

A slow smile broke out across Mirajane's lovely face as she glanced at her three colluders, then turned her attention back to the blonde before them, saying “Lucy, didn't you know? There's only one thing that can break a charm spell's power over you: finding your soul mate.”

“And if you already know your soul mate, it won't affect you in the first place,” Levy added, as Lucy gaped at the four of them.

“W-what?!” she demanded, mind reeling as she felt the blood rush to her face, no doubt turning her a violent shade of crimson “But that's not...I mean...” Lucy struggled to process this new information, it was a lot to take in. 

She knew she genuinely loved Natsu, she wasn't so silly as to try to deny that. Not any more. It was only recently that this love had taken a romantic turn, but Lucy knew it for what it was. Still...to be told that her boyfriend was her soul mate...that was kind of a big deal.

“Oh, congratulations, Lucy! Juvia is so happy for you!” the water mage exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and hugged the blonde tightly, startling her from her bewildered thoughts. As she found herself pressed to Juvia's bosom, she waited for her to make some comment about not having to worry about her taking Gray anymore, but no such words were forthcoming. 

Looking up at her, Lucy was met with with the sight Juvia's genuinely smiling face, and the girl felt a pang of guilt for her ungenerous thought. It seemed that the water mage was happy merely for the sake of her friend's good luck.

“T-thanks, Juvia,” the managed to squeak out before the other woman released her once more.

Picking up on her confusion, Mirajane leaned forward to lay her hand on top of Lucy's, and said “Don't let it overwhelm you. You're still Lucy, and he's still Natsu. This doesn't change anything between you. After all, it happened the first time you met,” she pointed out with a kind smile.

Lucy stared for a moment, then finally took a deep breath and nodded. Mirajane was right. Sure, she hadn't understood the implications before, but, technically, this wasn't news. It didn't change anything about her relationship with Natsu; not really.

Right?

“So what happened next?” Cana asked, voice more patient than it would normally be as she urged her young friend on.

Pushing her revelation to one side, Lucy gathered her thoughts once more and continued “Right, well, after that, I took Natsu and Happy out to lunch as a thank you.”

“That must have cost a small fortune,” Carla commented, and the girls laughed.

X~X~X~X

Flower mission complete, Natsu had hurried back to the house and gotten in the shower, relieved to find that no one was about. He had felt Virgo and Aquarius return to the spirit world as he left, but he'd half worried that Lucy might come back in the meantime to get something.

The dragon slayer showered quickly, then dried off and stepped back into the main room to rummage through his trunk for something to wear. Clad in nothing but a towel, Natsu nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw something move out of the corner of his eye when he kicked the bathroom door closed behind him.

Instead of yelping in surprise like most people would have, Natsu lashed out with a well placed back fist to the intruder's jaw, which sent them stumbling and swearing.

“Son of a-!” the man the dragon slayer had hit swore, one hand clutching his jaw as he doubled over, the other trying to wave his attacker off “It's me, dammit!”

Natsu had been moving in to land another punch on the intruder, but froze mid-swing when he spoke. Lowering his fist, he said “Loke? The hell are you doing in my house?” he demanded, annoyed, his nerves still jangling on high alert as his heart pounded in his chest.

The lion spirit straightened, rubbing his still tender jaw. Already, a livid bruise was beginning to bloom where his temporary master had struck him “I just came to talk,” he groused unhappily, wincing as the act of speaking sent a lance of pain through his face “I can't believe you actually hit me,” Loke complained.

“I didn't know it was you!” Natsu exclaimed, though his tone was unapologetic “Lucy's got a bunch of damn assassins after her, you can't just sneak in here and not expect to get the shit beat out of you,” the dragon slayer snorted derisively as he spun around and headed towards his storage chest. He rooted through the clothes within in hopes of finding something clean and in relatively good repair to wear.

“Guess I shouldn't hold my breath waiting for an apology then,” Loke drawled, dropping his hand from his face and looking around for his tinted glasses, which had been sent flying when he'd been hit.

“You'd be better off growing gills,” Natsu retorted as he came up with one of his few remaining one sleeved jackets with the tall collar, and a clean pair of pants “Why are you here, anyways?” he finally asked as he laid the clothing out and wondered absently if he owned an iron. Not that he'd ever actually used one, but he did tend to...collect things.

Loke grumbled quietly to himself as he found his glasses under the sofa and fetched them out. He dusted them off, then returned them to his face before turning to look at Natsu, who still had his back to him. 

“I came to talk about those, actually,” he said, pointing to the clothes Natsu had picked as he stepped up beside him.

“What about them?” Natsu asked suspiciously as Loke leveled a critical look at him.

“You're not seriously going to wear those on your date, are you?” the spirit demanded.

“What's wrong with them? They're clean,” the dragon slayer said, suddenly defensive as his hands went to his towel wrapped hips.

“Ugh, I knew you were a bit of an idiot, but come on Natsu! Don't you have anything else? This is supposed to be a special occasion!”

Frowning, the rose haired mage said “Don't call me an idiot, idiot! I'm not the one sneaking into peoples houses and getting punched in the mouth.”

The lion spirit dragged his hands down his face with a put upon sigh “I'll take that as a no, then. You'll just have to borrow some of mine, I guess,” he said reluctantly as he looked his temporary master up and down. They were about the same size, so that saved some trouble at least. Natsu looked ready to protest, but Loke cut him off with a sharp poke in the shoulder with one of his fingers as he said “Don't. You're going to take the clothes I give you and bloody well wear them, got it?”

The dragon slayer still looked ready to mutiny, though, so Loke sighed and said “Look, I'm sorry I called you an idiot. The girls told me how much effort you were putting into this for Lucy's sake, and I appreciate that. She's a very special girl and she deserves to have a boyfriend that's willing to go out of his way and do sappy stuff like this for her,” the man gave him a rueful sort of smile before continuing “So, that being the case, why not give her the whole package and actually wear something nice for a change?”

Natsu's expression gradually wound down from angry to annoyed, before finally landing on thoughtful. Eventually he groaned and said “Oh fine, do what you want. Just nothing girly, dammit!” he called as Loke grinned and disappeared in a flash of golden light to fetch who-knew-what outfit for Natsu to wear on his date.

Grumbling to himself, the dragon slayer stuffed his clothes back in his trunk, and then sat on it with a thump while he waited for the spirit to return “I hope you appreciate what I go through for you, Lucy,” he muttered aloud to the empty room.

X~X~X~X

“Hey, is that Droy?”

Lucy looked around as Cana shielded her eyes against the light of the setting sun and squinted across the canal at the bulky man walking there.

“Oh, you're right. I wonder what he's doing on this side of town?” Levy remarked as she raised her voice and called “Hello, Droy!”

The mage looked up and around when he heard someone call his name. When he spotted their group leaving Lucy's house, he gave a slightly guilty jump, but raised a hand to wave.

“He looks beat,” the solid script mage remarked as she waved back and started walking down the street towards the guild, with the others in tow.

“He does, doesn't he?” Wendy agreed worriedly “Maybe he just came from a job outside of town?”

Levy looked thoughtful for a moment before smiling to herself and saying “Probably.”

The group set off, but hadn't gone more than a block before Cana snagged Lucy's arm and slowed their pace so they dropped behind the rest of the group a little ways.

“What's up?” Lucy asked curiously when their friends were out of earshot (with the exception of Wendy, who Lucy at least knew was polite enough not to eavesdrop).

“I got you something, but I figured I embarrassed you enough for the day earlier, so I waited to give it to you,” Cana explained with a wicked grin as she rooted briefly through her purse and fished out a flat little wax paper bag no bigger than an envelope.

“Oh?” the blonde asked curiously, hesitating only briefly before accepting the gift. Carefully, she poured the bag's contents into the palm of her manicured hand, and was surprised when a pendant on a golden chain came out. Cana took the bag back so Lucy could carefully pluck the necklace up and get a better look at it. The chain was very fine, and the pendant was simple golden silhouette of their guild symbol.

“Oh, Cana, it's so pretty! I love it,” Lucy said and beamed happily as she immediately went to put it on. When she fumbled with the clasp, the card mage stepped up behind her to help, both of them stopping so she could manage it. When she finished, and Lucy settled the pendant against the fair skin of her chest, they started walking again “You didn't have to get me anything, though. If anything, I'm pretty sure gifts are Natsu's job today,” the blonde joked lightly.

“Well, I figured someone needed to get you one of these, what with your...well, what with your mom not being around,” Cana said, stumbling briefly over her words when she spoke of Layla.

Lucy's brow furrowed in confusion as she glanced from her necklace, to her friend, wondering what her mother had to do with Cana's gift “What do you mean?” she asked.

The card mage's sly smile returned as she explained “Well, it's not just a necklace, see? It's got a terribly useful little spell on it.”

“What kind of spell?” Lucy asked, suddenly suspicious as she seriously considered taking the gift right back off again. Still, Cana was her friend, she wouldn't give her something that would harm her. A prank on the other hand...

“Well, I wasn't kidding about you 'getting some' earlier,” the brunette said, raising her eyebrows suggestively “There's a contraception and sexual disease prevention charm on that necklace. As long as you wear it, you won't have to worry about getting pregnant, whatever sort of antics you and Natsu might get up to,” Cana explained with a cheeky wink. 

When the younger girl blushed crimson and looked ready to stammer her objections again, the card mage held up a hand to silence her, smile turning to something more genuine as she said “Hey, look, I'm not saying you have to go get laid tonight, kid,” with a chuckle that was not unkind “But if you do decide to, won't it be nice not to have to worry?” she pointed out cannily.

Lucy opened her mouth to object, but then snapped it shut just as quickly. Embarrassing as it was, she knew Cana was right. Whatever wound up happening tonight, or in nights to come, it would be nice to know that she could indulge safely. Over the past week, she and Natsu had only gotten as far as second base (toeing a line dangerously close to third on more than one occasion), and it was getting more and more difficult to resist the desire to go further each time. Even if it didn't happen tonight, well, at least she'd be ready when it did.

“Th-thanks, Cana,” Lucy finally said, smiling shyly up at the taller woman.

“Hey, no problem,” the card mage remarked cheerfully, beaming as she slung an arm around her friend's shoulders “That's what us pseudo-big-sister types are for, right?” she said as they picked up their pace to catch up with the others.

As the group walked, they chatted amongst themselves, and when they got into more populated areas of the town, they earned themselves more than a few admiring looks. They were an attractive collection of women on a normal day, but with the addition of Lucy and Juvia dressed to the nines, it seemed to lend all of them a little extra something as they strode confidently down the avenue.

Lucy still looked positively angelic in her new dress, and the effect was only enhanced by her long, golden hair, which Mira had decided to leave loose. She had, however, opted to give it a slight curl at the ends, leaving it to cascade richly down her back and around her delicately made-up face. Lucy was glad that the silver haired mage had gone light with the cosmetics, and felt that she had managed to do an even better job than she could have herself. Mirajane had apparently picked up some serious skills in all that time spent as a model being made-up by professionals.

Beside her, Juvia walked with increasing confidence, her hair pulled into a lovely up-do with her tresses coiled expertly by Wendy atop her head. Lucy was impressed that the younger girl was capable of such artistry, but then, she had a great deal of hair of her own to practice with, so perhaps it was a hobby in her free time.

“I didn't realize you could do hair so well, Wendy! Juvia looks great,” the blonde told the younger girl as she fell into step beside her, even taller than her than usual thanks to the heels she wore.

The dragon slayer blushed and smiled happily at the compliment “Thank you! It's...something I really enjoy doing. Normally I practice on myself, but working on someone else for a change was very nice. And a lot easier.”

“Well any time you want to do my hair, I won't complain!” Lucy told the girl with a grin, which Wendy returned.

“You really think it suits Juvia?” the water mage asked, one pale hand hovering just over her hair, not quite daring to touch it for fear of ruining the effect.

“You look gorgeous,” Erza told her confidently from the woman's other side, smiling a little wistfully at her two dressed up friends.

“Don't worry, Erza, we'll do you next time,” Mira reassured her with a chuckle as she recognized the look for what it was.

“Yeah, maybe the next time Jellal's in town?” Lucy suggested with a wink.

The requip mage blushed.

X~X~X~X

Natsu checked the watch Loke had insisted he wear for the umpteenth time as he stood outside the guild's front gate, waiting for Lucy. Somehow, he had managed to arrive half an hour early, despite the fact that the lion spirit had been convinced he'd be late. Behind him, friends and guildmates were gathering in the outdoor seating area on the other side of the gate, pretending they were just there to enjoy the warm evening air, though he knew full well they were all just a lot of nosy spies. Didn't they realize that even without his dragon senses he could still hear them?

Sighing in annoyance when he realized that it was still ten minutes to six, the dragon slayer shoved his hands into the pockets of his black slacks and leaned against the gate, forcing himself to take a deep breath and calm down. Despite the fact that he and Lucy had been 'dating' for the past week, his stomach was doing it's very best to tie itself into knots as he waited for her to arrive. 

For all he wouldn't ever admit it, Natsu was actually glad that Loke had intervened in the wardrobe department. He hadn't thought about it at the time, but Lucy was likely to be dressed her very best for tonight; it was just the way she worked. He'd never really understood her fascination with clothing, but even he had to agree that maybe dressing to match her this one time wouldn't hurt anything.

Still, he did not like the fact that Loke had somehow managed to guilt him into wearing one of his suits. Natsu had always liked his clothing loose fitting and comfortable so that he could move easily in them and not be restrained when he went to fight. A suit was anything but that.

The one Loke had insisted he wear was black and well tailored, with crisp lines that accentuated his lean build, though Natsu wasn't particularly aware of these facts. The jacket had been left unbuttoned, revealing the dark purple collared shirt he wore under it. He had absolutely put his foot down when Loke tried to make him wear a tie. In return, though, the spirit had refused to allow him to wear his scarf, going so far as to give it to Virgo to hide until after his date.

Natsu absently rubbed the scar on his throat, feeling somehow naked without the familiar length of scaled fabric. Well, better to miss it than wear a tie. They always made him feel like he had a noose around his neck.

“Where'd you get the monkey suit?”

The dragon slayer's head snapped around to see Gray approaching from the street, actually wearing a t-shirt and pants for a change as he strolled idly up to the gate.

Natsu snorted derisively, but couldn't argue with the description “Loke,” he admitted with a scowl.

Now that he was closer, the ice mage looked his friend up and down, whistling when he got down to the other man's shoes.

“Holy hell, he even got you into dress shoes? What kind of shit has he got on you?” Gray asked with an incredulous laugh.

“Ugh, shut up,” Natsu grumbled as he too glanced down at his feet. The shoes were black leather, and to a man used to wearing sandals all day every day, distinctly uncomfortable. They made his feet feel claustrophobic. The only thing that had got him to wear the stupid things was Loke's insistence that Lucy would positively laugh her ass off if he wore his usual sandals with the suit.

Glancing up from his shoes, Natsu caught Gray giving him a curiously thoughtful look.

“What?” the dragon slayer asked, narrowing his eyes suspiciously at the ice mage.

Gray's mouth twisted slightly before settling into a subtle smile “Nothing really,” he said with a shrug. When Natsu continued to glare at him, the ice mage sighed and said “You've changed, is all.”

“What do you mean?” the rose haired mage asked defensively.

“Oh calm down, change isn't necessarily a bad thing,” the ice mage said as he shoved his hands in his pockets. When Natsu settled somewhat, he continued “It's just, time was you'd burn half the guild down before someone could make you do something you didn't want to. Now you'll do it yourself, if you think it'll make Lucy happy.”

Natsu's hard expression softened “Yeah,” he admitted, absently running his hand through his wild pink hair “I guess I just realized that...seeing her happy, makes me happy. If that means wearing stupid clothes occasionally, then I can deal,” the dragon slayer said, flashing his friend a grin.

Gray stared at the other man for a long minute as Natsu turned to look up the street in hopes of seeing Lucy approaching, and wondered just when it was his childhood friend and rival had grown up and left him behind. The pair of them had practically been raised together, though Gray had always been confident in the knowledge that he was the more mature of the two of them. Still, here Natsu was, learning to bend his formerly rigid pride for the sake of another's happiness.

The ice mage was pulled from his thoughts as the dragon slayer suddenly pushed off the gate and stood straight, eyes fixed on a point down the road. Turning his attention in the same direction, Gray saw a group of girls heading their way.

Mirajane and Erza lead the group, flanked by Cana, Wendy, Carla, Levy, and Juvia. A brief flash of gold told both men that Lucy was somewhere behind her friends, who were all grinning from ear to ear.

“Damn, Natsu, you cleaned up pretty good,” Cana observed when they came to a stop before him, rubbing her chin thoughtfully as she gave him a once over “Nice to see we're not the only ones that went through some effort for this,” she added with a grin.

“Oi, who do you think planned all this?” Natsu asked, though he was clearly distracted as he craned this way and that in an effort to catch a glimpse of Lucy. The wall of females between them, though, served as a more than adequate barrier, especially when Erza put out a hand to keep him from coming closer.

“Now Natsu, before we give our blessing for this date,” the red head said, tone serious, though there was a twinkle of amusement in her brown eyes “You must promise to act the gentleman, a proper prince for our lovely princess.”

Gray scoffed at the very thought, and the dragon slayer shot him a warning glare before turning his attention back to the women and saying “What if Lucy doesn't act like a lady?” a joking smirk on his features.

“Then you will still act the gentleman, because if you take advantage of her then we will hunt you down and-”

“Alright, I promise!” the dragon slayer cried, though he was still grinning as he threw his hands up in surrender, making all the girls but Erza laugh, while Gray rolled his eyes.

The requip mage eyed the younger man suspiciously for a long minute before leaning over and asking Mirajane “I don't know, what do you think, Mira?”

“Oh have mercy on him for once, Erza,” the silver haired mage said with an impish giggle “Otherwise we'll have gone through an awful lot of trouble for nothing.”

“Not for nothing,” the other woman countered “we could all go out, after all. There could be drinks. With little umbrellas.”

“Ooh, an excellent point,” Mira conceded as Natsu's smile wavered “What better way to finish off a girl's day out than with a ladies night?” she pointed out slyly.

“Juvia quite enjoys drinks with little umbrellas,” the water mage added helpfully “They are always sweet and quite delicious,” she glanced down at Wendy and said “Juvia is sure we could get one without alcohol too.”

The young dragon slayer beamed up at her fellow bluenette and said “That sounds wonderful.”

“Sign me up!” Levy chimed in, grinning broadly.

“Hey, come on!” Natsu protested, suddenly worried that his entire evening was about to take and abrupt downward turn. He looked at Gray for help, but the ice mage was too busy staring at Juvia, a vaguely confused expression on his face. Fat lot of good he was.

“Oh lay off,” Lucy cried, her laughter ringing out from behind them “You guys can go get little fruity umbrella drinks without me. I've got a date.”

Natsu immediately perked up at his girlfriend's voice while the women blocking her from view murmured their disappointment, and finally seemed to give in.

“Very well,” Erza conceded with a 'tsk', though a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. She and the other girls shared a brief look, then split into two groups, and stepped to either side of Lucy, finally letting the pair lay eyes on one another.

Lucy blinked in surprise at the sudden reveal, then blushed prettily when she saw Natsu standing just a few yards away, staring at her, mouth agape. Even Gray, standing behind him, seemed taken aback. In the courtyard at their backs, where their guildmates had gathered to watch, whistles broke out as many surged towards the fence for a better look.

Ignoring the catcalls and giggles of her friends, Lucy quickly stepped towards her boyfriend, long golden curls bouncing while the fabric of her dress fluttered alluringly around her thighs and hips. 

It was all Natsu could do to remain upright, let alone form coherent words as a goddess appeared from behind the group of women and approached him, hips swaying, carnelian eyes seemingly alight from within as they locked onto his and pulled him, unresisting, into their depths.

Natsu would normally be the first to admit that he was pretty oblivious when it came to fashion and all the little things women did to make themselves look pretty. In fact, he knew he had upset Lucy more than once for failing to notice when she'd gotten her hair cut, or put some special effort into her appearance for whatever mission they were on. This change, though, the dragon slayer was pretty sure even a blind man would be able to see. He wasn't entirely sure what had shifted in him to make him finally start noticing what she looked like; maybe it was just the fact that he'd come to look at her in a romantic light since their last mission, which was something he had never done before. Or, maybe she was just so lovely that he would have fallen madly in love with her even if he hadn't been already. He was pretty sure half the men in the guild were now, if they hadn't been before.

“You look good,” Lucy said, made shy by her boyfriend's continued silence as she glanced up at him from under her long, dark lashes.

“Uh-” he floundered as he stared down into her lovely face, completely at a loss for words.

“I didn't think you'd actually wear a suit,” she ventured with a pleased smile as she reached out and ran one hand down the lapel of his borrowed jacket as Natsu continued silent. It was rare to see him in anything other than one of his usual loose-fitted outfits. She knew how much comfort and a need to move freely meant to him, so the fact that he'd actually worn a suit meant quite a lot. It was certainly a rare sight, one that she fully intended to enjoy and soak up for the rest of the evening. Goodness only knew when she'd have the chance again “No scarf?” she observed aloud, blinking in surprise when she finally registered it's absence.

“Yeah. No...what?” Natsu stammered after a moment when the sound of his guildmates' laughter at his expense dragged him from his stupor. He flushed and scowled at them before glancing back down at Lucy again. She too was laughing, but he found it quite impossible to be angry with her. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and lead her quickly away from the front of the guild, much to many of the mages' disappointment.

“Come on, lets get out of here,” Natsu said, leading the way until a moment later when Lucy caught her stride and fell in beside him.

“Please,” she said emphatically, laughing lightly when he glanced down at her with some surprise. After a moment, he grinned back and pulled her in closer to him, to which she responded by reclaiming her hand from him and slipping her arm through the crook of his instead. This, Natsu was happy to discover, allowed her to press up against him as they walked, which she seemed quite happy to do.

“Have a nice time!” Levy called after them.

“Don't do anything I wouldn't do!” Cana chimed in.

“More like don't do anything she would do!” Mira countered, to which the card mage objected by elbowing her sharply “Ow!”

The group of girls, plus Gray, watched the couple go for a moment, until they disappeared from sight down a side street.

Cana heaved a sigh and pretended to dry nonexistent tears with her sleeve as she said “Ah, they grow up so fast.”

“Don't they just?” Levy agreed with a wistful sigh of her own.

“Well, I don't know about you ladies, but I could use a fruity, alcoholic beverage that I don't have to mix for a change,” Mira said brightly into the moment of silence that followed “There's quite a nice little bar I'm rather fond of down in the restaurant district if anyone is interested?”

A round of eager agreement rose from the girls gathered around her, and the s-class mage immediately lead the way off down the street without entering the guild after all. 

Gray watched them go, Juvia with them. To his surprise, as she passed, the water mage said nary a word to him. She did, however glance briefly his way and flash him a smile before turning her attention to Erza, who had made some passing comment that she apparently found amusing.

Baffled by this uncharacteristic lack of attention to his person, Gray called out to her without thinking “Hey.”

Juvia paused briefly and looked around in surprise “What is it, Gray?” she asked as the rest of the group also paused a few yards on so she wouldn't be left behind.

Suddenly feeling completely at sea, the ice mage fumbled for something to say. Eventually, not entirely sure why, he asked “Er, can I come?”

The water woman blinked at him, glanced over her shoulder at her friends, and then back to him before smiling and saying “Sorry, Gray, this is a girl's night out. No boys allowed.”

The man could only watch, dumbfounded, as Juvia proceeded to wink at him (since when did she wink?), turn on heel, and walk off to catch up with her friends. To his further surprise, she glanced back over her shoulder one more time, waving casually as she called back “But maybe next time!”

Behind him, his guild mates broke out into 'oohs' and bouts of laughter while someone called “Damn! Better conjure some ice for that burn, ice mage!”

“Oi, shut up!” Gray shouted as he rounded on the group of gawkers with half a mind to freeze the lot of them. The other half was too busy puzzling over Juvia's strange behavior. What had changed?

X~X~X~X

Finally out of sight of the guild, Lucy relaxed a little and smiled up at Natsu as she asked “So, where are we going?”

Her boyfriend glanced down at her, color still high as he replied “Shopping,” and quickly tore his gaze from hers and turned it to the street before he could walk into the nearest lamp post and make a fool of himself. Not looking at her, he realized, was definitely easier. Every time he did he forgot where he was, and what he was doing. What the hell was wrong with him?

“Ooh, twice in one day, lucky me,” Lucy beamed happily “What are we shopping for?” she asked, wondering just what he had in mind. Frankly, she was surprised at what she assumed was their first destination. The blonde hadn't even considered it a possibility.

“Twice-” Natsu began, confused, before he realized that she must have gone shopping for the dress she was wearing now. He made the mistake of looking at Lucy again, her lovely face turned up to watch his, curiosity in her luminous brown eyes while a smile tugged at the sweet curve of her lips. Just below that was the swell of her breasts and the line of her pale shoulders, partially obscured by golden curls of hair.

“The girls and I went shopping earlier and I bought this dress,” she informed him lightly as she gently tugged his arm, steering him around a fire hydrant before he could stumble over it in his distraction. She'd never seen the man so at a loss, or so speechless before, and Lucy would be lying if she said she didn't feel just a little bit proud of herself.

“'s a nice dress,” the dragon slayer managed to say as he turned his attention back to the road when he realized she had just saved him from face-planting on the sidewalk. 

“So what are we shopping for?” Lucy prompted gently, smile spreading as she too turned her eyes to their surroundings, rather than him. For all he hated wearing them, Natsu filled out a suit very well indeed, so he wasn't the only person distracted by their partner between the two of them.

“Oh,” the rose haired mage said “clothes, actually,” he explained “But you know, proper clothes.”

“What do you mean 'proper clothes'?” Lucy asked with a laugh before adding humorously “Granted, if I went back and told Erza you'd wanted to buy me 'improper' clothes, she'd probably put you in the hospital for a week...”

Natsu's brow furrowed in confusion as he puzzled over what could possibly constitute as 'improper' clothes in Lucy's book that would make Erza want to beat him up “What?”

The blonde raised her eyebrows and grinned at his innocence “Oh, you know, lingerie and maid outfits and the like,” she teased, though a blush crept across her cheeks as she did.

“O-oh,” the dragon slayer stammered as his thoughts immediately took a sharp turn down a dark, and highly inappropriate alley in his mind. Realizing that she had been teasing him, he decided to retun the favor, and leaned down slightly to murmur in her ear “I do still have that maid outfit of yours from when we first met Virgo...”

The blush on Lucy's cheeks immediately intensified as a little frission of embarrassed excitement shot up her spine “Natsu!” she objected as his warm breath tickled her ear. When she rounded on him, he was grinning wickedly down at her in that way he had that positively drove her mad. It generally heralded something terrible, but just as often it preceded something naughty and delightful from her very recent experience. Once upon a time she had only dreaded that smile, now she looked forward to it.

Distracted as they both were, they narrowly avoided walking into the canal. Only Lucy stumbling against it's raised edged saved them from a dunking. It did force Natsu to haul her back from the edge, though, and they both shared an embarrassed look before breaking out into laughter at their own absurdity.

Refocused, the dragon slayer lead them towards the shopping district and ushered her into a small shop tucked away in a corner between a store that specialized in magical books, and one that sold a questionable array of dead things in jars. The inside of the little shop was musty, but brightly lit and jam packed full of clothes hanging from just about every available surface, including a series of racks on the ceilings.

Lucy looked around in wide-eyed surprise. It certainly wasn't the sort of place that she would normally go shopping, but she had to admit that they definitely seemed to have a very wide selection...

“Good evening, sir, miss!” came a cheerful, but weathered sounding old voice. It took the blonde a moment to spot the source, which turned out to be a withered little old woman sitting behind a counter at the back of the small store “What can I-” the woman paused, then readjusted the small spectacles that perched on the end of her equally small nose as Natsu placed a hand on Lucy's back and gently guided her forward “Good gods, is that you, Natsu?”

“Hey, Barra,” the dragon slayer replied with a jaunty grin as he absently ran a hand through his rose colored hair.

“I almost didn't recognize you, boy,” the old woman said as she looked the man before her up and down, almost seeming to not even notice Lucy in her distraction.

“Uh, yeah, special occasion,” Natsu said with a careless wave of his hand “Don't get used to it.”

“Shame,” Barra replied with a wide smile before her small, green eyes turned to Lucy, looking her up and down speculatively as she asked “So, who's your pretty friend?”

“My name's Lucy. It's nice to meet you,” the former celestial mage said with a friendly smile as she held a hand out for the other woman to shake. She wasn't quite sure just what Natsu's relationship with this person was, but it was obvious that they knew each other quite well.

Barra did so, taking it with one of her small, wrinkly hands as she glanced back at Natsu and asked “Your partner, Lucy?”

Lucy blinked in surprise, glancing back at Natsu before turning her attention back to Bara. The dragon slayer looked ready to say something, but before he could, she cut in and said “His girlfriend, Lucy, actually,” with a bright smile before adding “But I'm his partner, too.”

Natsu's eyes widened a fraction when Lucy introduced herself as his girlfriend. For some reason, hearing her say the words made his heart flip, and his smile widen “What she said,” he told Bara proudly.

“Why, congratulations!” the elderly woman crowed happily as she released Lucy's hand and beamed at the both of them before leaning in to tell the girl “You know, Natsu has been buying his clothes here for years, since he was a wee, pink dandelion-headed lad, but I was beginning to think he'd never find himself someone special!” Lucy glanced up at her boyfriend and hid an impish smile behind a hand as he rolled his eyes and grumbled while Barra continued “I had so hoped when he came in last year rambling about you, Lucy, but then nothing happened...” 

The old woman sighed, but then smiled up at Natsu and said “Well, it took you long enough, dear, but you got there eventually!”

“Thanks,” Natsu drawled as he leaned on the counter and said “Look, I'm here to buy some things for her,” as he jerked his head at Lucy “Same parameters as mine; fireproof, extra durable, the usual.”

Apparently shifting gears to business mode, Barra nodded and pulled out a little pad and made notes before turning to Lucy and saying “Well aren't you a lucky girl, having a lad that will buy you nice things?” she winked at the blonde and then waved a hand at her store “Have a look around and pick out what you like, then just bring it up here to me, dear. Don't worry if you find something you like but it's cut for a man or the wrong color. I can fix it all up and get the charms laid in it by tomorrow.”

Lucy blinked, then looked up at Natsu in confusion.

“Go pick out something you like that's good for fighting,” he told her, gesturing vaguely towards the racks of clothing “You're stuck with my magic for now, so I might as well get you something you can wear while you use it.”

“Oh!” the blonde said as their purpose for being in this odd shop clicked. She looked around the room with renewed interest before venturing off to do just that, picking at things here and there while Natsu turned back to Barra and let her barrage him with questions.

Lucy glanced up at the pair occasionally as she shopped, interested by the ease with which the two chatted. It was obvious that Natsu really had known her since he was small, which was something his girlfriend found quite interesting, considering this was her first time even hearing of Barra, let alone meeting her. Idly, she wondered how many other people were a part of Natsu's life that she hadn't met yet.

When she finally finished, Lucy took her selections up to the counter and plopped them down with a smile “Okay, I think that should about do it!”

Natsu reached around her in an attempt to get a look at what she had picked out, but the blonde slapped a hand down on top of the pile to keep him from taking it “No peeking!” she told him firmly.

“What, I don't even get to see what I'm paying for?” he asked, just a hint of a whine in his tone as he tried to get around her while Lucy continued to fend him off.

“Not until they're done!” the blonde cried as she swatted his hands away yet again. 

He had almost gotten around her when a yard stick descended on his skull with the wrath of heaven from just over Lucy's shoulder, making the girl go wide eyed with shock and glance back at the source. 

Barra held the other end of the length of wood from where she perched on her stool behind the counter. She looked sharply at Natsu, who had gone rigid on impact before jumping back, clutching his head and shouting “OW! What the hell, Barra!”

“You heard your lady, no peeking,” the old woman said with a sniff as she set aside the yard stick and took up her pen and notepad once more “Now, Lucy, any changes you want made?” she asked as she started sorting through the garments.

Glancing up from where her boyfriend now crouched on the floor, clutching his head like he was afraid it might split open if he released it, Lucy turned her attention to Barra “O-oh, let's see...”

A few minutes later, Lucy was done, and Barra had finished taking notes and getting a few quick measurements. Natsu sulked by the door, unwilling to come any closer than that after the old woman's attack.

“Alright, dear, they'll be ready by three tomorrow,” Barra said with a satisfied smile as she tucked her pad away and put Lucy's clothes in a order box on a shelf behind her “Your boy can pay then once you're satisfied with how they turned out.”

“Thank you very much, Barra. It was a pleasure meeting you,” the blonde said with a genuine smile as she shook the seamstress mage's hand for a second time, then went to meet Natsu at the door.

“Ready?” he asked, glancing warily over her head at Barra who made a 'I'm watching you' gesture, at which he grimaced and stuck out his tongue.

“Yeah,” Lucy said, laughing at the pair's antics before taking her boyfriend's arm and dragging him out the door before Barra could descend on him with her yardstick again.

They walked a ways through the market, and the celestial mage let the dragon slayer settle a little before saying “Thanks for the clothes. I can't wait to see how they turn out,” with an eager grin “I can't believe you never told me about that place, though. I would have got something there sooner if I had known about it. Or, you know, at least had her charm some of my own stuff so it wouldn't get so torn up,” Lucy said, wrinkling her nose as the thought of all the clothes she had wrecked on missions since joining the guild.

“Guess I just never really thought about it,” Natsu admitted wryly “A few of us shop there, actually. Gray, though Barra's been swearing for years that she's going to stop selling to him if he can't keep his damn pants on, Erza sometimes...I think Gajeel's started too.”

Lucy blinked up at him in surprise, before a soft smile spread over her features “You, Erza, and Gray...you've shopped there together since you were kids at the guild, huh?”

“Yeah,” the dragon slayer admitted “Master took us all there once and...I guess it just became habit,” he said with a grin “That and she makes good stuff.”

Lucy chuckled and rested her head lightly against Natus's shoulder as they walked idly along the canal, her arm in his before asking “So, what now?”

“You hungry?” he asked in turn.

“Sure,” Lucy said brightly, tilting her face to beam up at him “What's for dinner?”

“You'll see,” Natsu said, and flashed her a grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the date finally begins! We'll wrap it up next chapter, then move back on to the main thread of the story in chapter 25 ;)
> 
> You know, I really love Gray and Juvia as a couple, but I've always felt that Juvia would definitely need to learn to love herself before a relationship between the two of them would ever be able to actually work out in the long term. I rather enjoyed writing a sort of start to that process in this chapter, haha. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed! If so, please make sure to leave a review! They really help me keep up the muse to write!


	24. A Romantic Interlude

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, There will be no update next Tuesday the 26th! I'm going out of town to visit my sister to see her graduate from college (-wipes tear- they grow up so fast!), so needless to say I won't be getting any writing/editing done during that time, lol. Haven't seen her in months, so there shall be much sisterly bonding! That said, there WILL be an update that Saturday (the 30th), so at least you don't have to wait two full weeks? The reason for this is that I've decided to switch the update day to Saturdays for the foreseeable future now that my schedule has settled. I go to work early on Tuesdays, so getting a chapter posted right before work scan be a bit of a scramble. Saturdays I work in the afternoon so that should make things a little easier, lol.
> 
> Anyways, on with the show! Natsu and Lucy's date continues! Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed, they really help me keep writing!

Lucy was surprised when, instead of heading towards the restaurant district of Magnolia, Natsu lead them back towards the house. Curiosity peaked, she wondered if maybe he had cooked something, though part of her dreaded the possibility. The dragon slayer was pretty good at the basics, but anything fancy that she wasn't around to lend a hand with tended to go south quick.

As they approached the house, the blonde moved toward the front door, but Natsu kept his hold on her arm and tugged her lightly away, grinning at her confused look. In answer to the question in her eyes, he jerked his head toward the training field and drew her out across the grass.

“Natsu, wait-” she began as he lead her along, only to be cut off as one of her high-heels plunged deep into the soft earth, making her yelp and stumble. Luckily, her grip on his arm was such that it saved her from falling right out of her shoes. She laughed, embarrassed, as she pulled the offending heel from the dirt with a grimace and wiggled her foot to set it properly in place once more “Heels definitely aren't the best shoes for a nature walk,” she mused aloud.

“What the heck did you wear them for then?” Natsu asked with a snort as he looked down at her footwear, which was a problem he hadn't quite planned for. He never had understood womankind's penchant for walking around with stilts on their shoes. What was the point? He supposed they could be good for stabbing someone in an emergency, but-

“Well I didn't realize we'd be out traipsing through fields this evening,” Lucy countered, interrupting Natsu's line of thought as she arched one brow at him “In fact, I had to dress with no idea whatsoever as to what we might be doing.”

“Oh,” the dragon slayer said, grimacing as he realized she was right. It wasn't as though he'd told her what the plan was. Oh well, it was a problem easily fixed “Come here, then, your silly shoes should be able to manage on the other side at least.”

“My shoes aren't silly!” Lucy objected as he leaned down and lifted her easily into his arms, cradling her gently before starting off across the grass “They're quite sexy, thank you very much,” she said with a sniff, lifting one leg and pointing her toes to show off not only the shoe, but the calf that it did wonders for.

Natsu glanced at it, raising his eyebrows before remarking in a teasing tone “I'll take your word for it,” with a half-grin. The girl in his arms made an annoyed noise as she swatted his chest, clearly unsatisfied with this answer “Alright! They're sexy! Cut it out!” he cried as her sudden movement made him stumble and almost drop her “You are very sexy tonight, from head to toe,” he reassured her with a grin once he'd found his footing again.

Not having expected the full extent of his compliment, Lucy flushed and asked “You really think so?” as she looped her arms around his neck and looked up at him with large brown eyes that were almost black in the darkness of the growing night.

“Definitely,” Natsu said truthfully. The fact that he had a hard time admiring individual pieces of her wardrobe didn't mean that he didn't appreciate the finished product of everything together “I kept almost walking into lamp posts earlier,” he admitted to make his point even as he almost slipped in a shallow ditch one of them had cut during practice “Mind giving us some light?”

“Don't forget the fire hydrant,” Lucy reminded teasingly as she waved a hand and sent will-o-the-wisp flames fluttering about them to light the way.

“Yes, and a fire hydrant. That's just how sexy you are,” Natsu said, moving to avoid a hole in the ground by the light she'd cast. He glanced up around them thoughtfully before adding “You're good at that.”

“Thanks,” she beamed in response to both compliments “I quite like them,” she added as she looked up at the little firefly-like lights that swirled around them.

When they reached the other side of the field, Natsu carefully set Lucy down on the hard packed path and straightened his jacket absently. The blonde looked around and noticed a light in the distance between the trees.

“What's that?” she asked curiously, glancing from the light and up to him.

The dragon slayer grinned as he took her hand and said “Lets go find out. Put out your lights first, though. No need to burn the forest down.”

Lucy stuck out her tongue at him and said “I would not,” but did as she was asked and extinguished her fire with a gesture. The sun had well and truly set by then, but between the glow of the waxing moon above them, and the light through the trees, they were able to follow the path easily.

The pair walked in silence for a time, joined hands swinging gently between them as a myriad of thoughts flickered across the surface of Lucy's mind; like so many silver fish in a deep pond. What was the light up ahead? What did Natsu have planned for the evening? Should she try and make conversation? It was quiet between them now, but it was a pleasant, comfortable sort of quiet. Maybe she should tell him what she'd found out about them being soul mates...

That thought rose from the depths like a leviathan, disturbing the tranquility of her mind, and making her nibble her bottom lip worriedly as her internal debate waged. Eventually, though, she decided to keep it to herself...for now. They'd only just started dating, and Lucy couldn't help but feel that if she told him they were soul mates, Natsu might be scared off. From what she could tell, he'd never dated anyone before, and even for someone who had, like her, it was a big, almost frightening piece of information to be given so early in a relationship. If she told him now, he might think that she was expecting things of him that the dragon slayer was not yet ready to give.

Luckily, Lucy was distracted from these thoughts completely when they came around a thickly wooded bend in the path, and the source of the light she'd seen was revealed. The last stretch of the trail down to the lake was lit by colorful paper lanterns that had been set to hang from the branches of the trees that lined it.

The blonde let out a delighted little 'oh' of surprise, as she paused to take in the sight before glancing up at her boyfriend. Natsu was watching her from the corner of his eye, and grinning rather smugly at her reaction.

“You did all this?” she asked as they started walking again.

“Nah,” Natsu admitted readily “Virgo and Aquarius both helped set up.”

“You got Virgo to climb a tree?” Lucy asked with a startled laugh as she reached up and gently brushed a lantern with her fingertips as they passed beneath it.

“I guess so,” Natsu admitted, though his brow furrowed in confusion as he added “Though I never actually saw her in a tree, now you mention it...”

The blonde chuckled “A mystery for the ages.”

As they approached the last bend in the path before the lake, Natsu hesitated ”Hang on,” he told her, making Lucy look up at him questioningly “You should close your eyes,” the dragon slayer said after a moment's thought.

“Huh? Why?” she asked, narrowing her eyes suspiciously at him.

“Because I said so,” he countered, releasing his hold on her hand and crossing his arms over his chest, clearly unwilling to argue.

Lucy huffed and pursed her lips as she debated with herself, before finally submitting “Oh fine,” she grumbled, figuring that the man wasn't up to any serious mischief “I swear, though, if you drop me in the lake or...or prank me or something, I will totally break up with you.”

“Fair enough,” Natsu replied with a laugh as she closed her eyes. When she had, he waved his hand in front of her face to make sure she wasn't peeking.

“You do realize I don't have to have my eyes open to know you're waving your hand around, right?” Lucy pointed out as she stood there and waited for Natsu to make his move. Hearing another sound, she considered it for a moment before saying “Or to know you're making a face. Keep your tongue in your mouth, sir. We haven't even had dinner yet.”

This comment startled a laugh out of Natsu, making the girl before him smile. He reached out and took both of her hands in his before leading her the rest of the way down the path.

Between glances behind him to make sure they weren't about to walk into a tree, the dragon slayer took the moment to admire Lucy once more. Here, beneath the paper lanterns, the girl's pale form was dyed a multitude of colors that shifted and changed as they passed. Her long, dark lashes brushed rosy cheeks, and a small, but excited smile played across full lips. 

As he brought them to a stop at the top of the rise that over looked the lake, Natsu paused, and then leaned in to brush his lips gently against hers. Lucy gave a start at the sudden contact, but responded readily.

The kiss was brief, as he pulled away to be met with the sight of Lucy smiling up at him a little mischievously, eyes still closed.

“Natsu, did you bring me all the way out here just to kiss me?” she asked in a light, teasing tone.

“Well, not just to kiss you,” the dragon slayer said with a grin, oblivious of the potential double meaning to his words as he released her hands and stepped around behind her “Open your eyes.”

Having to fight hard not to comment, Lucy did as she was bid, lashes fluttering as her eyes adjusted, and then widened with surprise. Below her, the black lake looked as though it were covered in stars along the near shore, while the light of the moon spilled silver across the far one. Closer examination revealed that the stars were, in fact, small, floating candles. 

Before she could look back at Natsu, a delicate, floral scent reached the blonde's nose, and she glanced around curiously. When they had been there before, there hadn't been much growing along the verge besides grass. Now, though, to the right of the path, a kaleidoscope of color had erupted along the edge of the drop off that preceded the lake.

Flowers the likes of which Lucy was quite sure did not normally grow together now blossomed around a blanket that had been laid out on the grass beneath a lantern dotted tree. There was a basket at it's center, but the girl barely even registered it as she walked over to the edge of the picnic area and crouched down to admire the exotic blooms.

A delighted smile crossed her features as she glanced back over her shoulder at Natsu, who stood, hands in his pockets as he watched her take it all in “You did all this for me?” she asked, touched, as she stood once more and held a hand out to him.

“Well, like I said...I had help,” Natsu said and scratched his nose absently, embarrassed, but clearly pleased by her reaction. He took her hand and then lead her onto the blanket before taking a seat.

Lucy settled herself next to him, still smiling as she looked around from her new perspective, heart fluttering wildly in her chest as she reached out and and gently ran one finger along the soft petals of a blue and white lily, the likes of which she had never seen before.

“You like them?” Natsu asked curiously, watching Lucy closely as she admired the flowers surrounding them “Aquarius and Virgo said I had to get you flowers, especially on the first date, so-”

Lucy turned and looked at him, wide eyed for a moment. A might struggle wrote itself across her features, but she soon lost the battle and burst out into peals of merry laughter.

“Oi, what's so funny?” the dragon slayer demanded, sitting up straight and going rigid as he watched her laugh at him.

“Oh...oh my goodness,” the blonde wheezed helplessly as she dabbed carefully at the corners of her eyes as tears of mirth threatened to ruin her make-up. Glancing up at him, and seeing the hurt expression on Natsu's face, Lucy hurriedly said “Natsu, the flowers are wonderful, I absolutely love them.”

Annoyance turning to confusion as Lucy insisted that she liked his gift, he asked in an injured, suspicious tone “Then why are you laughing?”

Finally getting herself under control, the woman answered “It's just...so like you, is all,” with a smile full of affection on her face “The girls tell you to get flowers, and you get me a whole field of them.”

Natsu blinked at her as it set in that growing the girl he liked her very own wild garden of exotic flora was not the standard way to give flowers “Well, what did they mean then?” he asked, baffled.

Biting her lip to keep from laughing again, Lucy explained “They meant a bouquet, no doubt. You know, they sell them at stands in the market? Flowers that have been cut, and then wrapped in paper and ribbon. Most boys get those and give them to the girl when they pick her up for their date,” the blonde looked around at her beautiful, living flowers and said “I like this much more, though.”

“Well yeah,” Natsu said with a grimace “Who wants dead flowers?”

“I'll certainly never look at a bouquet the same way again,” Lucy said with a chuckle before examining their blanket curiously. It wasn't one she recognized, so she assumed it must be new “Shoes off,” she told him with a grin as she carefully flipped her heels off, letting them land between a clump of daisies and an unfamiliar red flower with a long, straight stem.

“Finally,” Natsu said emphatically as he unlaced the leather shoes Loke had forced on him earlier that evening and tossed them aside, quickly followed by the socks.

Lucy watched him wiggle his toes happily, but decided not to comment, allowing her hair to shield her face from his view so he wouldn't see her grin as she turned to regard the basket “So, is this dinner, then?” she asked when she had herself under control again. Without waiting for him to answer, she lifted the lid, breaking the stasis spell that had been cast on it. Without warning, all sorts of delicious aromas poured out of the unassuming pannier.

“Yeah,” Natsu answered, leaning over to look into it to make sure everything had remained intact “Don't worry, I didn't cook it,” he joked with a grin.

Lucy laughed as she reached in and pulled out several covered plates and placed them on the blanket between them. Removing the lids, she realized that she recognized the dishes “Oh! These are from Sadie's Cafe, aren't they?” she asked, surprised and delighted by the revelation “They make the best alfredo, you know.”

Reaching into the basket as well, Natsu rummaged for a moment before coming up with one plate in particular. He pulled the lid off and grinned widely as he said “I know.”

“Oh my gods,” Lucy said, awed as she accepted the plate from him “You get the best boyfriend ever award, it's official.”

The dragon slayer snorted as he passed her some silverware “Like there was ever any question? Just who do you think I am?” he said with a smug grin, though internally he was heaving a sigh of relief that Lucy seemed pleased with everything. He wasn't sure what he would have done if she hadn't been.

“The best boyfriend ever?” Lucy said with a cheeky smile as she dug into her pasta and groaned happily.

“If I'd known you were this easy to please, I'd have been apologizing with pasta for months now,” Natsu teased as he started in on the steak dinner he'd gotten for himself.

The girl almost snorted sauce, but forced herself to chew and swallow before saying “I'm glad you didn't, otherwise I'd be fat by now.”

“I don't annoy you that often,” her boyfriend scoffed and threw a roll at her when she just raised an eyebrow at him. While Lucy turned to fetch the offending bread back from the edge of the blanket, Natsu realized that they were missing drinks.

Setting aside his plate, he reached back in the basket and found the two glasses he'd requested, as well as a bottle of wine. Seeing as he knew next to nothing about wine, he'd let the chef pick something that would go well with the food.

“Ooh, champagne? How terribly romantic,” Lucy said with a smile when she saw what he was doing.

“Is it?” Natsu remarked as he carefully popped the cork without letting any of the golden, fizzing drink escape the bottle “Good,” he added with a grin as he poured for both of them.

Lucy set aside her plate and accepted her glass when he offered it to her, then took a sip. She hummed happily as the effervescent drink rolled over her tongue. It had a pleasant, fruity taste to it “This is good,” she said as she gladly took another drink.

Natsu considered his own glass for a moment, seeming suspicious of any beverage that bubbled of it's own accord, before shrugging and taking a swig. He almost choked at the strange sensation of the fizzy beverage, coming dangerously close to shooting it right out his nose. One hand clamped over his mouth, the dragon slayer forced himself to swallow before taking a breath and coughing.

“Are you okay?” Lucy asked, trying her best not to laugh as she leaned over and clapped him on the back to help the drink go down.

“It feels weird,” the slayer rasped when he could speak again, and this time his girlfriend did laugh.

“It takes a little getting used to,” the blonde admitted with a grin as she took a drink of her own again “Try it again. Just, you know, don't swig it this time.”

Natsu looked ready to object, but seemed to rethink this and did as she suggested. With a great deal more care than he showed towards most things he did, the rose haired mage lifted the glass to his lips and took a cautious sip. He wrinkled his nose as the bubbling drink filled his mouth again, but this time he was able to take in the flavor as well as the feel. Natsu swallowed, and then took another drink, taking a moment to swish it around his mouth before admitting “Well, it's not too bad I guess.”

“Well thank goodness,” Lucy teased as she took up her pasta once more. While she ate, she turned her attention from her boyfriend, and back to the flowers that surrounded them, wondering just how the slayer had managed to get them all to grow so quickly. 

Then, a memory from earlier that day came to mind, and she asked “Did Droy help you with the flowers?”

Natsu nodded, and said “I had to promise I'd do a job with him and Jett free of charge in exchange, though. I guess they've got their eyes on a high dollar request but they're not sure they can handle it.”

Lucy chuckled “Did he stipulate that you have to not destroy half the town and lose them their reward in the process?”

“Yeah,” the dragon slayer said with a moue of disappointment “Got me coming and going.”

Lucy giggled, and he grinned at her as they finished up their dinner.

“Dessert?” Natsu suggested as he glanced down into the basket once more.

“Good gods, is that basket bigger on the inside or something?” Lucy asked with a laugh as she sat back.

“No, not a bad idea though,” Natsu mused thoughtfully before taking another sip of his champagne, halfway through his second glass now. His brain was starting to feel as fizzy as the drink was.

“I want to go look at the candles,” Lucy announced as she set aside her own glass and got to her feet with a grin “Then we can come back and have dessert.”

“Yeah, alright,” the dragon slayer agreed readily as he too got to his feet. He glanced down thoughtfully at Lucy's impractical shoes, and then kicked his own over towards her “Wear those. You'll just twist an ankle otherwise.”

“What will you wear?” she asked with a blink, touched by his thoughtfulness as she slipped her feet into them. They were almost clownishly large on her, like a little girl who tried to wear her father's shoes, but they'd still be better for walking on the rocky beach than her heels.

“I'll be fine like this,” the man said confidently as she glanced down at his bare feet. 

“Well, if you say so,” she said a little skeptically before taking his hand in hers and starting back towards the path that lead down a steep slope to the beach itself.

The pair strolled leisurely along the edge of the water, stones crunching beneath their feet. Lucy wondered how it was Natsu was able to manage barefoot without cutting himself to ribbons, but when she glanced up at him to make sure he wasn't uncomfortable, the man seemed blithely unaware of the fact that he ought to be in a great deal of pain. In the end, she figured his feet must be even more calloused than she realized, making her wonder why he even bothered wearing shoes.

When they came to a long, flat rock that jutted out into the water, Natsu held her hand tightly as she stepped up onto it before hopping up himself. Gently taking her hand from his, Lucy kicked off his shoes now that they were on a smooth surface, and walked out to the very tip of the rock to better admire the view of the glittering lake. 

For a moment, Natsu simply watched her, admiring the way the breeze that drifted across the surface of the lake stirred the long, golden strands of her hair, and set her silken skirts fluttering enticingly around her hips and thighs. Silhouetted by the moon, Lucy turned to smile at him over her shoulder before crouching down and plucking one of the candles from the water.

She cradled it in her hands as she got back to her feet, not daring to sit on the rock for fear of ruining her new dress. The candle had been molded into the shape of a lotus flower, with a little flame burning steadily at it's center.

Taking a sip of his champagne as he watched her, a thought occurred to Natsu and he moved to her side once more.

“I just thought of something I never taught you,” he said with a grin.

“Lessons on date night?” Lucy asked, arching a brow at him, but returned his smile as she glanced up at him from the candle in her hands.

“I think you'll like this one. It's not hard,” Natsu told her.

Intrigued, she asked “Alright, I'll bite. What is it?”

“Fire eating,” he said, flashing her a grin over the rim of his glass “It's pretty useful, actually. I ought to have taught you sooner.”

Lucy blinked as she realized he was right. There was more than one occasion in which Natsu's ability to eat fire and garner magical energy from the flames had saved them and their team. Granted, working to master all of his spells, and he hers, over the past week or so had eaten up a great deal of time, so perhaps it was only to be expected that something had dropped through the cracks.

She glanced down at the little flame, and then back to him before saying “Alright, Master, teach away.”

“Have I mentioned that I love it when you call me Master?” Natsu remarked with a slow, suggestive smile, a warmth that could not be wholly attributed to alcohol pooling in his belly as he watched her blush prettily at his words.

Lucy swallowed hard at the almost predatory look he gave her as he finished off his champagne. His eyes were large, dark, and unreadable in the flickering light of the candle.

“U-uh, no, you hadn't actually,” she admitted almost nervously as he continued to watch her closely, his smile doing funny things to her stomach. 

The moment passed, though, and Natsu put his empty glass on the rock at their feet before turning his attention to Lucy and her candle, suddenly all business.

“Well, like I said, it's easy,” the man began with a grin as he rubbed his hands together before him “All you have to do is focus in on the fire that you want to eat, and inhale. Think of your magic and your desire for that fire to come to you, and the magic does the rest,” he instructed.

Lucy thought about this for a moment. Natsu had gotten better at explaining how his powers worked over the course of their lessons that past week, but it still took some consideration on her part to really take in his meaning sometimes.

When she figured she had the general gist of what he meant, Lucy turned her attention to the little candle flame, calling on Natsu's magic as she focused on it. Feeling it rise to her call, the woman inhaled through her mouth like she had seen the dragon slayer do so many times in the past. At first, nothing happened, but a moment later, the fire streamed up from the candle's wick, and into her mouth, not unlike a strand of spaghetti.

Lucy made a muffled noise of astonishment as she shut her mouth around it, eyes widening at the peculiar sensation of it rolling across her tongue. It wasn't hot, to her surprise, so much as pleasantly warm and...oddly fluffy. As she bit down on it, she decided that if she had to compare the texture to anything, it would be a marshmallow, but even that didn't quite cover the strangeness of it. It moved like a liquid in her mouth until she bit into it, and the flavor was practically indescribable. Sweet, but spicy, with a mellow start and a sharp finish.

She must have been making a very peculiar face as she chewed, because Natsu laughed at her until she finally managed to swallow. When she did, though it was only a tiny drop in a large bucket, Lucy felt Natsu's magic grow, if only temporarily.

“What'd you think?” he asked with a grinning at her thoughtful expression.

“It was good...I think,” Lucy answered hesitantly, brow furrowed in thought “It was really weird, I've never eaten anything like it before. I don't even know how to describe it,” she mused.

The dragon slayer nodded his agreement. He'd been asked many times just what fire tasted like, though obviously fire from different sources had different flavors, they all had more-or-less the same texture. It was one he'd never really been able to describe to his friends. It made him feel a little better that Lucy, who was far more eloquent than he, wasn't able to do so either.

Looking down at the now dark candle in her hands, Lucy brushed the blackened wick with a fingertip, releasing a small spark of magic to light it once more. That done, she crouched down and returned it gently to the surface of the lake. It bobbed dangerously for a moment, looking as though it might be swamped, before stabilizing and drifting serenely away.

When she stood once more, Natsu stepped up to her side and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her in flush against his side. Lucy sighed happily and let her head rest on his shoulder as they stood there in silence and simply admired the view. The sounds of the night filled the air around them as frogs called in the distance, and crickets sang. The wind sighed through the trees and plucked at Lucy's hair and dress as it rolled leisurely across the surface of the lake, making the candles flicker.

After a time, Lucy stirred and glanced up at Natsu, smiling as she asked “So, what's for dessert?”

The rose haired man glanced down at her and grinned in reply to her question before turning them and walking back down the rock and across the beach, pausing to let Lucy slip into his shoes for the trek back “I don't remember what the guy called it. He swore you'd like it, though.”

“Oh?” Lucy asked, intrigued.

“The guy that took my order said that no woman could resist it, so I just took his word for it,” he answered with a shrug as they made it back to their picnic.

While he sat and tugged the basket over to him, Lucy kicked off his shoes and settled herself down next to him, watching curiously as he pulled out spoons and two small, cylindrical bowls. Natsu popped the lids off and passed one to her, before taking his own.

Lucy looked down at the little dessert, tilting it into the light of the lanterns above them so she could see what it was. When she realized just what kind of dessert she held, she said “Oh! It's chocolate mousse!”

“There's meat in this?” Natsu asked, eyebrows shooting up in confusion and surprise as he glanced down at his own, having already taken several bites.

“Not moose,” she said with a laugh after taking a bite of her own “Mousse, it's a chocolate dessert, no meat involved.”

“Oh,” he said, and shrugged, then continued eating “It is pretty good. Don't know why he thought you wouldn't be able to resist, though.”

“I think most women do have a weakness for chocolate mousse, actually,” Lucy admitted with a smile between bites “Chocolate in general, really.”

“Even Erza?” Natsu asked thoughtfully as he processed this new information.

“Oh, definitely Erza,” Lucy agreed with a laugh “Desserts in general get her, though. Then again, maybe chocolate desserts are a double whammy.”

“Well now I know how to distract her if I piss her off again,” the dragon slayer said with a wicked grin as he looked down at his bowl.

The blonde snorted at this new, diabolical plan, but was distracted before she could make any sort of reply. When Natsu glanced up at her, she noted a smudge of chocolate just under his bottom lip, making her giggle.

“You've got a little something,” she told him, tapping the same spot on her own face.

Natsu blinked at her, then wiped his face with the back of his hand, completely ignoring the napkins close by “Good?” he asked, though he had missed it entirely.

“Nope,” she replied, amused. Before he could try it again, though, she licked the pad of her thumb and reached over, using it to wipe away the offending chocolate. As she pulled her hand away, though, Natsu grabbed her wrist to keep her there, and then, to her surprise, stuck her thumb in his mouth.

Lucy's eyes went wide with astonishment, breath catching in her chest as his teeth grazed her knuckle and his tongue lathed her thumb quite thoroughly, removing every speck of chocolate. Natsu's gaze was turned upward, expression thoughtful as he did this, seemingly unaware of how erotic such a gesture could be.

When he was done, he gently slid her finger from his mouth, lips gliding warm and smooth over her now slick skin. He smiled at her, then, and something in his eyes changed as he said “Don't want to be wasteful.”

His low, warm tone, and the way he watched her for a reaction sent a shiver of excitement running down Lucy's spine. 

Maybe he wasn't so unaware after all.

She opened her mouth to make some response, but no sound came, making Natsu's smile spread across his angular features. When Lucy went to try again, he leaned in, and caught her lips with his before she could get a word out. She was glad he did, she had no idea what she might have said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the sake of being thorough, There will be no update next Tuesday the 26th! See the notes up at the top as to why, as well as the new update schedule.
> 
> Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed! By popular demand, next week's update will include lemon, lol. I was originally intending to make it a short interlude sort of chapter that I would maybe post on a Saturday or something...but it wound up being quite long *coughs* If you want to skip it because you're not into lemon, that's totally fine, I made sure not to include anything vital to the plot in there, so you don't have to worry about missing anything important. Not gonna lie though, there are some funny/fluffy scenes that wound up in there too, lol, so maybe consider reading as long as you're comfortable, rather than skipping the whole thing? It's a lot of first base shenanigans for like...at least 8 ms word pages, haha.
> 
> Regardless! If you enjoyed the chapter, please do leave a review, they keep my muse motivated and working! Thanks again to everyone that commented last chapter!


	25. Wager All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE EDITED, NON-LEMON VERSION OF THIS CHAPTER. After giving it some thought after posting chapter 24, I decided to post the edited 'T' version of this chapter as part of the actual story so that I wouldn't have to bump up the rating (plus I know I do have several underage readers, lol). Needless to say that this makes this chapter quite a bit shorter than normal. Sorry!
> 
> HOWEVER, if you DO find yourself wanting the full, uncensored, lemony goodness version, I've posted it as it's own story titled “Wager All”, and you can find it here on the site in my profile with the rest of my works.

When he was done, he gently slid her finger from his mouth, lips gliding warm and smooth over her now slick skin. He smiled at her, then, and something in his eyes changed as he said “Don't want to be wasteful.”

His low, warm tone, and the way he watched her for a reaction sent a shiver of excitement running down Lucy's spine.

Maybe he wasn't so unaware after all.

She opened her mouth to make some response, but no sound came, making Natsu's smile spread across his angular features. When Lucy went to try again, he leaned in, and caught her lips with his before she could get a word out. She was glad he did, she had no idea what she might have blurted out otherwise.

His lips moved languidly against hers, leaving Lucy thoroughly kissed before they finally broke contact to catch their breath. Chest heaving and heart pounding, the blonde smiled almost shyly up at him as he rested his forehead lightly against hers. Characteristically, he grinned in response before he moved in once more, shifting his position so he was able to loop one arm around her back, pulling Lucy in against his chest.

Her fingers splayed against the fine fabric of his indigo shirt when he did, and she relished the feel of his hard muscles beneath it. As his tongue flicked past her lips to taste her mouth, Lucy sighed happily and slid her hands up to Natsu's shoulders, pushing at his jacket. He took the hint and released her just long enough to slide out of it and toss the thing aside before wrapping her up in his arms once more. The next time he went to pull away, Lucy bit his lower lip and growled forbiddingly as she grabbed his shirt to keep him close.

She could feel him smile against her skin, and the blonde took advantage of his distraction to force her way into his mouth, savoring the taste of him. Natsu opened a little further, allowing her tongue to move more deeply, sliding enticingly against his own as the taste of champagne and chocolate combined with Natsu's own unique scent and threatened to overwhelm her.

“You smell so amazing,” Lucy breathed as she brushed her cheek along the line of his jaw and pressed her nose to the crook of his neck. The woman inhaled deeply as she nuzzled him and planted a feather-light kiss against the line of his throat. She could feel his pulse jump beneath her lips as she did so.

“Must be all the chocolate,” Natsu joked, voice rough as he unconsciously ran his hand up the line of her shoulder to the back of her head. The dragon slayer twined his fingers through her soft, golden hair, torn between holding her there to make her continue, and pulling her away before he lost it completely.

“No,” she mumbled against his skin as her left hand slipped up to the collar of his shirt and deftly undid the button there “Chocolate is great, but you smell like heaven,” Lucy added after a moment while her hand continued to the next button, and she traced the familiar scar on his throat with her tongue.

Natsu blushed at her words, though had he been asked, he couldn't have said why. Instead, he turned his head and found the curve of her ear. The dragon slayer brushed it lightly with a kiss and asked in a breathless tone “And what does heaven smell like?”

Lucy paused in her ministrations, then pulled away so she could look at him with carnelian eyes. At some point she had wound up in his lap with one of his arms around her, and the other cradling the back of her head. His hold on her loosened somewhat to allow her the freedom to move, and she smiled up at him.

“Hard to describe,” she admitted thoughtfully as she traced his jaw with her thumb before allowing her hand to drift up and brush affectionately through his wild pink hair “A bit like...like rosemary, and basil, with just a hint of wood-smoke. There's something else, too, but I can't say what. It's just...you,” Lucy explained.

Natsu watched her thoughtfully as she spoke, heart pounding in his chest while described his scent in a warm, affectionate voice. Combined with the look in her eyes, and her shy, gentle smile, it stirred something in the dragon slayer that had him leaning in to claim her mouth once more, suddenly full of a desperate needto be as close to Lucy as possible.

The sensation of cool evening air on his torso told Natsu that she had succeeded in undoing his shirt, and was pushing it off of his shoulders in a clear command for him to remove it immediately. He did so as quickly as possible before taking her in his arms again, the silken fabric of her dress' top cool and soft against his chest. Lucy slipped her arms around his neck and it was all the man could do not to shudder at the sheer pleasure of having her skin on his. As soon as he had that small sample, though, the mage immediately found himself craving more.

Kissing her with a fervor that bordered on desperate, Natsu pushed Lucy back onto the blankets, using one arm to support her, while the other shoved their picnic basket impatiently out of the way. It tumbled sideways into the flowers with a noisy clatter that neither of them paid any mind. The mostly empty bottle of champagne down by their feet also fell victim to this change in position when Lucy inadvertently kicked it, sending it rolling into a patch of clover.

The dragon slayer settled himself so he stretched alongside the blonde, propped up on his elbow as her head rested on his forearm, providing him the perfect angle to kiss her at. With her head tilted back so, it was easy to take her mouth with his, something she encouraged by using her hold on his shoulders to drag him in closer yet. In their eagerness, their teeth clicked together just shy of painfully, but both were too consumed by the moment to pay the brief discomfort any mind.

One of Natsu's legs found it's way between Lucy's, and he shifted his weight so he half covered her in his desire to have as much physical contact with her as possible. When she bent her free leg at the knee, brushing his hip in the process, the dragon slayer's attention, though not his gaze, was inevitably attracted. The man's free hand immediately went to her leg and slid slowly up her thigh, brushing back the diaphanous fabric of her dress to the line of her hip. He dragged his fingers firmly down it's length before brushing back up it again, along the inside of her thigh this time. Beneath him, Lucy shivered and gasped at the sensation.

The dragon slayer pulled away partially and looked down at the blonde, taking in her flushed features and bruised lips. Her golden hair curled out and around her head across the blanket in a wild halo. He grinned at her then, making her blush intensify. There was something about that smile of his that filled her both with dread and anticipation.

“I like your dress,” he admitted casually, making Lucy blink at the impromptu statement.

“Th-thanks,” she mumbled as his calloused hand roamed distractingly along her leg. Rather than stopping this time, though, Natsu slipped it under the pale fabric to drift over the lace of her underwear and up along her waist.

“'s very soft,” Natsu added as he leaned down and pressed a light kiss to the hollow at the base of her throat “Kinda floaty,” he observed absently before trailing his tongue along the line of her collarbone.

“Uh-huh,” was all Lucy managed as a reply as one hand went to the back of his head and twined through his short, rose colored hair, encouraging him to linger with his tongue even as his fingers roved idly across the flat of her stomach beneath her dress.

He paused when his mouth came into contact with something warm and metallic, and he pulled away slightly so he could get a good look at it. She was, he realized belatedly, wearing a necklace “What's this?” he asked curiously. To Lucy's disappointment, he withdrew his hand from her stomach and used it to pick up the little golden charm that dangled from the chain. On closer examination, he realized that it was a tiny version of their guild symbol “It's a tiny fairy,” Natsu observed aloud with a grin before his brow furrowed “You don't usually wear necklaces, do you?” Again, he didn't often notice what it was Lucy wore on a day to day basis, but seeing the fine golden chain around her throat struck a chord that told him it was out of the norm.

“Yeah, it is,” Lucy answered, lifting her head slightly to watch him until he turned to look at her as he asked his second question. Her blush returning full force as she realized she was about to have to explain a few things to the man, the blonde said “Ah, no, I don't. It was a gift.”

“Who from?” Natsu asked with a blink of surprise. For half a second, he was filled with a sudden dread that he had missed his girlfriend's birthday. Luckily, he quickly realized that he definitely would have heard about it (ad nauseum) from his friends if he had, and Lucy certainly wouldn't have agreed to go on a date with him. Moment of panic over, he watched her curiously, interest peaked by the way she suddenly went red at his interest in the little charm.

“Cana,” Lucy answered after a moment's hesitation.

Even more surprised than before, Natsu said “What, seriously?”

“Like it's so odd for a friend to give me a present?” the girl asked a little defensively.

“It is when it's Cana,” Natsu remarked blithely “She saves all her money for booze.”

Lucy opened her mouth to chastise him for this uncharitable comment, but couldn't quite manage it. The man was right, after all. Cana definitely wasn't the type to just go around buying things for people for no particular reason, not with how expensive her drinking habit was. She shut her mouth with a snap and sighed, which was as close as she was going to get to admitting he was right.

Natsu grinned, knowing he had her there. Still, to give her a moment, he turned his attention back to the charm that dangled from the chain looped over his fingers. Idly, he took the little pendant between his thumb and index finger, and was surprised by the soft fizzle of magic that greeted his touch.

“It's got a spell on it?” he asked, confused as he glanced back at Lucy, wondering what she needed a magic necklace for.

“Um, yeah,” the blonde replied, not meeting his eyes as she tried to work up the nerve to tell him just what it did.

Before she could, though, he asked “Well, what's it do?”

Clearing her throat awkwardly, Lucy forced herself to meet Natsu's gaze and say, in a mostly even tone “It's got a contraception spell on it.”

“A what?” the dragon slayer asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Sighing, and feeling even more embarrassed, Lucy found herself wishing (not for the first time) that her boyfriend could spend a little more time expanding his vocabulary. She'd rather been hoping he'd understand without her having to explain in detail “It's a spell that will keep me from getting pregnant if we... _you know_ ,” she explained, the words tumbling past her lips in a rush. Unable to meet his eyes any longer, Lucy clapped her hands over her face to hide herself from his gaze, feeling that she was in danger of spontaneously combusting out of sheer embarrassment again.

Natsu went completely still and stared at his girlfriend for a long moment until he realized he'd stopped breathing at some point, and forced himself to inhale. He looked at the charm once more, feeling an overwhelming mix of terror, awe, excitement, and arousal. The dragon slayer carefully returned the necklace to it's place just above Lucy's breasts as thoughts raced around his head a mile a minute.

So, Cana had gotten Lucy a necklace that would ensure she could have sex safely. Natsu made a mental note to buy the card mage an expensive bottle of whiskey the first chance he got. The thought was rapidly followed up by the fact that his girlfriend had not only accepted this gift, but _worn_ it for their date tonight. Didn't that rather imply that she wanted to make use of it? Did _he_ want to make use of it. It took approximately one one-hundredth of a second for Natsu to come to the conclusion that, _yes,_ he wanted to have sex with Lucy. Who the hell _wouldn't_? Question was, did Lucy really want to with him?

Taking a breath, Natsu shifted his position so he was at head level with his still hiding girlfriend once more. Using his free hand, he gently, but firmly, pried her hands from her face so he could see her.

“Lucy,” he said, and the sound of her name drew her eyes to meet his. They were wide and a little fearful, but the dragon slayer could make out the same muddle of emotions that had threatened to overwhelm him a moment before. Now, though, things had settled into place, as they always did once he came to a decision, and he said “We won't do anything you don't want to do.”

The woman's soft brown eyes widened fractionally before she suddenly relaxed against him. He hadn't even realized how stiff she had gone during their conversation until she suddenly wasn't anymore. Her eyes closed, and Natsu regarded her worriedly until she opened them once more, and smiled up at him.

“Thanks, Natsu,” she said, voice soft as she slipped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest.

Surprised, the man returned the embrace, pulling her on top of him as he rolled onto his back to give his elbow a rest from leaning on it. He planted a kiss on top of her fair head and rubbed her back as he said “Dunno what for, but you're welcome.”

He could feel her breath against his skin as she laughed. Lucy pressed a light kiss to the place just above his heart before she lifted her head and said “Thank you for being understanding,” to clarify as she smiled down at him.

“I have my moments,” Natsu said with a cheeky grin as he forced himself to relax back against the blankets and turn his eyes skyward to admire the moon and stars that filled the sky above. Anything to keep from thinking about the body of the gorgeous woman sprawled on top of him. If she didn't want to have sex, then that was okay. They could just-

The unexpected sensation of Lucy's hand stroking him lightly with delicate fingers through the fabric of his pants sent a wave of shock and pleasure racing up through his gut to his head, muscles clenching in response as he let out a hiss of surprise. Natsu lifted his head and stared down at his girlfriend, taken completely off guard by this sudden turn of events. She favored him with a shy, but clearly determined, smile in return.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, yes, short chapter for those of you not into Lemon. Sorry! Don't worry, though, this will be the only chapter like this. I don't plan on doing another like this for this story. You can look forward to something completely different next week, in any case! ;D For those of you who don't mind some heavy second base shenanigans though (what FF considers rated 'M'), I'd recommend going and reading 'Wager All' (the full version of this chapter that has been posted as it's own story in my profile) for a ways because that goes on for awhile before escalating into 'MA' territory.
> 
> Chapter title is inspired by the song “Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)” by the Decemberists off their album 'The Hazards of Love'. It's a gorgeous song, and an amazing album, so I highly recommend it! The title was originally going to be 'Won't Stop' after One Republic's song by the same name, but then I was listening to the Hazards of Love album for the umpteenth time the other day and 'Wager All' was just far too perfect a fit, so it changed.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Back to more normal, actual plot stuff next week (with a twist!). Please make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed, they give my muse life and keep me writing!


	26. Long Gone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, hello to all you new followers, welcome to 'One Wish'! Though I received barely any comments on either version of chapter 25, apparently the full version must have gone over pretty well considering the sudden surge in story follows, lol.
> 
> Not a lot to say here this week, just a general request that you leave a review after reading, even if it's just a short one! I know it sounds greedy, but I'm really not joking when I say that hearing what you guys think of the story really helps me keep writing! If you don't leave a comment, then who will?

The shriek of a departing train's whistle, followed by the sharp hiss of steam made Levy jump and almost spill her coffee. Luckily, the lid on the top of the paper cup she cradled in her slender hands kept her from sloshing the hot beverage down the front of her yellow sundress.

Carefully taking another sip, the young woman glanced around her, backpack resting on the ground at her feet as she waited for her partner to arrive. Levy's eyes strayed up to the large clock that dominated one wall of the train station, and noted that it was only five minutes until their train would be departing. She was starting to become worried, it wasn't like Gajeel to be late.

“Hey,” a low, familiar voice said from behind her, almost making the girl jump again. She looked around and smiled with relief when she saw Gajeel a few paces away, arms crossed over his chest “You ready or what?”

“Yes!” Levy answered immediately as she stooped to grab up her bag. To her surprise, though, Gajeel laid hands on it first, swinging it up and over his shoulder before she could get a word out “Oh, you don't have to-” she began, only to be cut off by a look from the dragon slayer, who was already making long strides towards the platform.

“Hurry up or we'll miss the train,” he called over his shoulder, making her flush and scurry after him, realizing that arguing with the man would no doubt be pointless.

Once they boarded, Gajeel quickly located an empty compartment, and opened the door with a sharp snap, then stepped to one side to allow his companion to enter first. Levy blinked up at him in surprise at this courtesy, but stepped in quickly when she realized that she was keeping other travelers waiting by blocking the hall. The iron dragon slayer followed immediately after her, then passed her her bag, which she stowed under one of the benches for easy access once they got under way.

Taking a seat, Levy floundered for a moment, feeling awkward at the silence that descended over them as soon as Gajeel had shut the door. He had taken the bench across from her and almost immediately shut his eyes, arms crossed over his chest, long legs stretched out in front of him and crossed at the ankles. Perhaps he was still tired? It _was_ quite early, after all. She should just let him rest and not bother him with conversation...

“Just ask your question already,” the dragon slayer said, startling the girl from her reverie. When she glanced up at him, wide-eyed, she saw him regarding her through one cracked eye-lid from across the compartment.

“Oh!” she exclaimed, startled “It's nothing important. Please, don't let me disturb you,” Levy insisted, embarrassed at having been caught out. How had he known she wanted to talk?

Gajeel released a long sigh “Well you already did, so you might as well continue,” he drawled, both eyes open and watching her now. Her mortified expression at his words, though, made him sit up straight “Er, shit,” he swore when he realized he'd probably upset her, feeling flustered himself now “I just mean...you can talk if you want to. It's not a big deal or anything.”

Levy stared at him, and the glanced down at her hands, where she her fingers fidgeted nervously in her lap. When she looked back up at Gajeel again, he was still watching her, and she realized that she wasn't going to be let off the hook now.

“I was...just going to ask if Lily was coming?” she admitted shyly.

“Nah, he decided to stay behind. Had some solo job lined up I guess,” the iron dragon slayer said with a nonchalant shrug of his muscular shoulders. The lie had been effortless, and when he glanced side-long at the girl, he knew she hadn't detected it.

In reality, the man had practically been forced to bribe his feline friend not to come along. Lily had been quite adamant in joining them on their quest, convinced that something dire waited for them at the erstwhile prince's house. Gajeel had been forced to wheedle and beg for hours the night before, until the exceed had finally relented and agreed to stay behind, recognizing that this was a rare opportunity for his friend and Levy to have any actual alone time.

Ever since the madhouse that had been their adventure on Tenrou Island, Gajeel had had cursed few opportunities to spend time with the solid script mage without her self appointed bodyguards looming over the both of them. It was no easy thing to catch her on her own. It was, in fact, so difficult that he had actually entertained the thought of sneaking into Fairy Hills to visit her there. Not even Jett and Droy dared do that!

On the other hand, neither did he. Not so long as Erza continued her iron-fisted rule of the women's dormitory. The terrifying red head hadn't even had mercy on an injured Natsu, and they had been friends since childhood. What hope could _he_ possibly have?

Hence why he was so pleased to have Levy all to himself, if only for a day. Now he just had to make the most of the opportunity...

Gajeel opened his mouth to make some effort at conversation, only to clamp it shut with a snap as the train lurched into motion around him. Suddenly swamped by his old friend nausea, the iron dragon slayer sagged helplessly back into the cushions of his seat, cursing silently. He was still convinced that that moron Natsu's predisposition towards motion sickness was somehow contagious to other slayers. _Years_ he'd traveled where he liked without so much as a butterfly in his gut, but these days he wanted to up-chuck just _looking_ at a freaking train.

Groaning miserably, the dragon slayer sagged forward as he struggled to keep his meager breakfast down, deeply regretting not seeking Wendy out for a quick troia spell before making this trip. Before he could reach his tipping point, though, a pair of slender hands caught his shoulders, and gently pushed him upright once more.

Blearily opening eyes he hadn't realized he had closed in the first place, Gajeel was met with the sight of Levy's rueful smile as she crouched before him, holding him in place. If he hadn't been so busy trying not to puke on her, the man would have felt a deep sense of embarrassment and shame at his predicament.

“Dragon slayers and trains. I always forget,” the solid script mage mused. Gajeel would have been offended were it not for the sympathy in her voice “To think poor Lucy has to deal with this now, too! Still, I'm sure Natsu's having a field day,” she added with a chuckle as, to the dragon slayer's surprise, she settled herself onto the seat next to him, maintaining her hold on him to keep him from toppling.

Gajeel just grunted a reply.  
  
“Y-you know...” the solid script ventured again a moment later, voice full of the quiet embarrassment that often colored their conversations “Lucy apparently found a rather good cure for motion-sickness right before she and Natsu switched magic. Well, not a _cure,_ per say, but it kept the worst of the nausea at bay, or so she said.”

Managing to glance over at his traveling companion, Gajeel said “Whatever it is, do it,” with a desperation that he felt to the marrow of his bones.

“But you don't even know what it is,” Levy objected, blushing as the man dove head first into a situation that she both anticipated, and dreaded.

“Don't care,” he grunted.

Looking unsure of herself for a moment, Levy mustered every ounce of courage she had and went for it. She had to make Lucy proud! Her friend would never let her live it down if she had this opportunity and passed it up because she got cold feet.

“Alright, well, lay down across the seat, then,” she instructed. When Gajeel went to lay his head on the opposite end of the seat, though, she grabbed his arm lightly and corrected him, face burning with embarrassment “Um, with your...with your head on my lap.”

Gajeel stared at her uncomprehending for a moment, his normally bright crimson eyes struggling to focus on her as he repeated in a slow, confused tone “You want my head...on your lap?”

Blushing brighter yet, Levy nodded.

The dragon slayer continued to stare at her for a long minute, wondering if perhaps he hadn't fallen over and knocked himself out when the train started, and now he was dreaming. Or maybe he was just hallucinating. Who knew what he was _actually_ doing right now. He just hoped he wasn't face down in a pool of his own vomit.

The train lurched beneath them as it worked up the steam to take a steep hill. A shudder ran the length of the iron dragon slayer's muscular frame, and his body automatically conceded to Levy's request without so much as a courtesy note to his brain. Laying down was always much better than sitting up when it came to suffering through nausea, after all.

Levy lifted her hands out of the man's way as he quickly did as he was told and stretched out as far as he could across the seat. Unfortunately, tall as he was, this meant he still had to keep his knees bent as his studded boots came into contact with the far wall.

When he seemed comfortable, the girl bit down on her lip and struggled to do what she knew came next. The conversation she'd had with Lucy during one of their research sessions in the guild had certainly been an...enlightening one. It had occurred shortly after Natsu had asked her out, and Levy still marveled at her friend's nerve. Still, she and Natsu had known each other for some time, so perhaps it was only natural that they were more comfortable around one another. Granted, she had known Gajeel for nearly the same window of time, but to say that they had gotten off to a rocky start was a bit of an understatement.

Still, the iron dragon slayer had surprised everyone with how thoroughly he had reformed, risking life and limb for his guildmates again and again since joining. The difference between the way he had been, and the way he was now wasn't quite night and day, but Levy had come to trust him to an extent that didn't just surprise people who knew their history, but sometimes herself as well.

She had come to care for the man in her lap a great deal in the intervening time, though she had (understandably) disliked him at first. His resolution to not only apologize to her in the wake of his joining the guild, but his attempts to make things up to her and her team had taken the girl by surprise. His transition from foe, to comrade, to friend, and then eventually to something _more_ had been so gradual that Levy would be hard pressed to put a finger on what had so completely changed her opinion of Gajeel Redfox.

A subtle shudder from the dark haired man dragged Levy's attention back to the task at hand. Before she could work herself into a panic, debating on whether or not to follow Lucy's advice, the girl made the leap. Reaching out with one small hand, she ran it over Gajeel's stomach in soothing clock-wise circles. It was a bit of a reach for her, thanks to how tall he was, but she managed. She could feel the slayer's stomach muscles clench at the unexpected contact, though they relaxed a minute later.

“Well, um, is it helping?” she asked when there was no comment ventured from her patient. She ducked her head to look down into his face, only to catch him staring at her, his tan features seeming redder than normal.

Caught out in his observation, Gajeel immediately averted his gaze and nodded “Yeah,” he said, heart pounding so loud in his ears he half feared he wouldn't hear her if she said anything else “Thanks,” he added.

Though the sensation of her hand on his stomach did indeed help soothe the worst of his nausea, being so close to her set his nerves jangling, and he lay very still for fear of making a wrong move. Feeling awkward, Gajeel closed his eyes and took a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself. He _never_ got nervous...so why did being around Levy always make him so? Here was the one girl that he wanted to like him more than anyone else in the world, and he could hardly get two words out without feeling like a total idiot.

Well, maybe that was why.

Her heady scent filled his senses and he relished it. Somehow, it managed to take the edge off of his nerves. Having her so close at hand soothed something restless in him that was always on guard when she wasn't around.

She smelled faintly of the books that she so loved, with a rich undertone that he couldn't quite describe with words, but was quite firmly labeled as 'Levy' in his mind. On top of that was the delicate vanilla scent of whatever shampoo she used, along with the clean cotton smell of her clothing.

Gajeel took another deep breath, calming himself further, to the point that he felt on the verge of drifting off to sleep, something that he rarely did in the presence of others, let alone on a train. As his mind settled into the dark, quiet place on the border of waking and dreaming, he felt her hand on his hair.

The man had to fight very hard not to give any sign that he noticed this, though it was no easy task as Levy began to gently finger-comb his wild, dark hair. He felt her right hand stop it's attentions to his stomach and trade out with her left on his hair as she carefully leaned down and fetched something out of the bag at her feet. Realizing that she thought him sleeping, Gajeel decided to play along, keeping his eyes closed as he heard her fetch out a book and open it, her fingers playing idly with his hair all the time.

As she settled in more comfortably against the back of the seat, her fingers exerted a little more pressure and gently massaged his scalp as she read. Though Levy was no longer rubbing his stomach, the dragon slayer's nausea didn't return, perhaps because he was too distracted by what she was doing to his head to even notice.

Gajeel had never been one for physical shows of affection, and neither were any of the other dragon slayers, as far as he could tell. Well, with the exception of Natsu. Idiot was constantly throwing his arms around people's shoulders in shows of friendship, and ever since he'd started dating Lucy, you didn't often see them together without him at least holding her hand.

As for the rest of the slayers, though, perhaps it came from being raised by dragons, but the concept of wanting to be in physical contact with someone you like, even just in a friendly manner, was a strange one.

Still, as Levy trailed her delicate fingers through his thick, wiry hair, Gajeel was beginning to think that maybe Natsu wasn't so crazy after all. At least when it came to the girl you liked, anyways.

Having his head in her lap and her fingers in his hair as she quietly read a book, and he dozed, was a little slice of domestic heaven that the iron dragon slayer had never realized that he wanted until he suddenly had it. Sure he'd _liked_ Levy for some time now, and wanted to take the relationship to the next level, if she could be convinced to have him (that things had worked out so well for Natsu gave the man hope at least), but somehow, in all his daydreams, little scenes of contentment such as this one had never even crossed his mind. Now he wondered why.

Happier and more relaxed than he had been in some time, Gajeel released a long sigh, a low rumble of contentment echoing through his chest.

Levy's hand paused in her ministrations as she dared to ask “Gajeel, are you _purring_?” in an incredulous, but amused voice.

The dragon slayer gave a jolt as horror and embarrassment shredded his peace, and his eyes flew open to stare up at her shyly smiling features.

Going rigid, the man moved to sit up, but a gentle hand on his shoulder stopped him before he got more than an inch or two “I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything!” Levy said quickly as she bit her lip and met his eyes, looking repentant.

At his unhappy, clearly uncomfortable expression, the girl cursed herself mentally for not being able to keep her mouth shut. Things had been going so well, too! She had never seen the normally guarded dragon slayer look so relaxed before, and the fact that he had been so at _her_ hands had made her giddy with delight.

“Please don't get up,” she asked shyly “I um...I like it. The purring,” the clarified, a blush coloring her cheeks as she averted her eyes from his piercing gaze.

Gajeel hesitated for a long minute, torn between acquiescing, and denying her in an attempt to salvage what remained of his pride. Still, what good had his pride done him thus far, in regards to the girl that spoke to him so sweetly and touched him with tender hands? Not much, really, other than drive him to inflict incredible pain on her and her friends.

Making up his mind, the dragon slayer settled himself back down into her lap, much to Levy's surprise and delight “Alright, but you have to _swear_ not to tell anyone,” Gajeel said, embarrassed as he closed his eyes once more, and crossed his arms over his chest.

Levy smiled and said “It'll be our little secret.”

_Our_ little secret. Gajeel rather liked the sound of that.

 

* * *

 

In the end, Gajeel dozed off and on for the rest of the train ride, too aware of Levy's nearness to drop off to sleep completely, but surprisingly relaxed all the same.

When the train came to a complete stop at last, the dragon slayer sat up, experiencing a conflicting mix of reluctance and relief. Levy's muffled giggled made him look around at the bluenette, brow furrowed in askance at her.

“Sorry, your hair,” she said by way of explanation as she got to her feet and stepped in front of him. The solid script mage proceeded to comb her fingers through his hair, setting it to rights after her attentions had set it at all angles as he dozed.

“That's better,” Levy said with a satisfied smile as her hands dropped to her sides and she moved to collect her book and bag. Gajeel stared at her for a moment as she did so, taking advantage of her distraction to watch her unobserved. The man's heart had been set pounding by the innocent, though somehow intimate gesture of the girl neatening his hair for him. It was the sort of thing that _couples_ did.

“You ready?” Levy asked cheerfully as she slung her bag up onto her back and smiled brightly at him, not noticing his distraction.

Gajeel quickly got to his feet, struggling to reign in his wild flights of fancy, and nodded to her. His face settled into it's familiar, stern lines as he did so, though it was all a mask to hide the riot of emotion taking place in his heart. He didn't have time for this. This wasn't a _date_ , it was a job.

So why did he want to hold her hand so badly?

As the pair disembarked and exited the station, Levy pulled out the map she had acquired and marked their destination on early that morning. Seeing Gajeel watching her curiously as they paused on the sidewalk, she smiled up at him and said “Looks like it shouldn't be far. We're here,” Levy explained, tapping their location on the map with a fingertip before tracing their path along a few avenues to a spot marked with red ink “and Mr. Hawkes house should be here.”

“Didn't realize princes got called 'mister',” the much taller man commented as he leaned over to get a look at the map. The fact that this allowed him to step in much closer to the girl was purely coincidental, or so he told himself.

So what if he had better than twenty-twenty vision and really didn't _need_ to be that close to read every little street name?

“Shush!” Levy chided him, making the man turn to look at her, putting them almost nose-to-nose in his distraction. He blinked, and she blushed, but said “Better to just call him by his pseudonym. Who knows who might be listening?”

The woman's wise words barely registered in the dragon slayer's ears as his eyes became fixated on her lips as they moved. If he just leaned in a few inches...

“Gajeel?”

The dragon slayer jolted and pulled away hurriedly, saying “Yeah, right,” as he straightened and looked anywhere but her. That being the case, he missed the odd look she gave him, and the way the bluenette nibbled her lower lip thoughtfully as he put some distance between them.

“Lets go,” he said gruffly, and set off at a quick pace, cursing himself for suddenly developing the attention span of a goldfish in all things that didn't involve Levy. This really was getting absurd. He hadn't expected finally being able to spend some much desired alone time with the solid script mage would mean the loss of all his common sense.

He wasn't _normally_ this bad around her, but somehow, finally having her attention on him and only him was a heady wine indeed. Maybe he should have let Lily come after all.

“G-Gajeel!” Levy stammered from behind him as she placed a hand on his arm to get his attention “We need to turn right!”

The dark haired man blinked down in confusion at the girl before looking around in surprise as he realized they had already come quite some distance. On closer examination, he realized that his companion was breathing hard. A sharp pang of guilt struck him as he realized that his much longer stride and quick pace must have been forcing her to jog just to keep up.

“Right,” he finally said, grimacing in what he hoped was an apologetic fashion before gesturing for Levy to lead the way. The woman, in turn, gave him a rueful, though forgiving, smile and stepped up to the edge of the crowded sidewalk to wait for a break in traffic so they could cross the busy street.

Gajeel moved to her side and stared out at the buildings on the opposite side, hands in his pockets as he resolved to keep his whole attention on the task at hand until the job was complete. When it was...well, it'd only be logical to get lunch, right? The both of them. Together. Alone.

A small squeak of alarm from the girl beside him dragged the iron dragon slayer's attention back to the present just in time to see a man bump into her carelessly from behind as he passed, sending her tripping out into the busy street. Before her foot even hit pavement, and well before she came close to traffic, Gajeel's hand snaked out and grabbed her arm, then tugged her firmly in against him as fury bloomed in his chest.

“Oi! Watch where you're going, asshole!” he snarled at the passing man, who looked around and scoffed.

“Why don't you watch where you're standing?” the stranger snapped as he made a rude gesture that Levy, with her face unexpectedly pressed to Gajeel's shoulder, did not see.

The logical part of Gajeel knew that the solid script mage hadn't been in any real danger. Even if he hadn't caught her, Levy was quick on her feet and wouldn't have gone more than a step or two before coming right back to the sidewalk, well shy of the serious street traffic.

The part of him that was _not_ logical though, the part that jealously guarded those he cared for like a wrathful dragon on it's hoard, seethed with anger at the other man's carelessness and cavalier attitude at putting Levy in danger. Sure she probably wouldn't have been hurt regardless, but that primitive, overprotective side of his brain wouldn't stop pointing out that this stranger couldn't have known that. What if a cart had swerved at the wrong moment and she'd been hit?

Crimson eyes blazing, Gajeel lashed out and punched the other man in the face.

The man crumpled to the ground, screams of pain muffled by his own hands as he clamped them over the gory mess that was now his mouth, several broken teeth dropping between his fingers to clatter on the cobbles at their feet.

“Oh my god Gajeel!” Levy cried in alarm as she twisted in his grip to see what he'd done.

Around them, fellow pedestrians were slowing to watch, murmuring amongst themselves, eyes darting between them and the man on the ground as the wheels of the rumor mill started slowly, but surely, to turn.

“Shit,” he grumbled, dragging a hand down the length of his face. He didn't regret his actions, but he knew he'd regret the trouble they'd get in if any guards showed up. This was supposed to be a _covert_ mission, after all. Without stopping to ask permission, Gajeel wrapped his arms around Levy and leaped high into the air, then landed on the roof of a building across the street.

The girl in his arms yelped in surprise and clung tightly to him as he landed on sun baked tile and immediately took off at a run. He took them several blocks before dropping down into an empty alley so they could rejoin the city crowd without attracting anymore undue attention.

“This should be far enough,” he told Levy as he tried to set her down, regretting the fact that he hadn't had the chance to really enjoy the feel of her in his arms. Carrying her any longer would just be strange, though, so better to stop while he was ahead. To his surprise, though, the girl clung to him even after he released her, eyes clamped shut as she dangled from his neck, forcing him to wrap his arms around her waist to relieve the strain.

“Uh, Levy?” Gajeel asked, flushed but trying his hardest to keep a neutral expression.

At the sound of her name, the bluenette's eyes flew open and she released him “Sorry! I'm sorry!” she managed to squeak, thoroughly embarrassed as Gajeel set her back on her feet once more “I just...not used to the jumping like that,” she managed to say, voice weak.

Before the dragon slayer was able to come up with some reply to this, though, Levy's brow furrowed and she frowned up at him “But what were you thinking, punching that man!”

Taken off guard by her sudden change in demeanor and demanding question, Gajeel scowled and said “He pushed you!”

“So?” she asked, arms crossed over her chest as she looked up at him unhappily, tapping her foot as she waited for a better answer.

“So you could have been hit!” the dragon slayer snapped “He fucking deserved what he got, pushing women out into traffic and not even fucking apologizing,” Gajeel fumed unrepentantly.

“That doesn't give you the right to break his teeth!” Levy countered unhappily.

Snorting and crossing his own arms, Gajeel looked away and said “It does in my book.” The man lifted his chin and growled “No one tries to hurt my-” he stumbled over his words briefly and his red eyes darted back to Levy for a moment before continuing hurriedly “f-friend and doesn't get taught a lesson they won't forget.”

Levy stared up at him for a long, quiet moment, and Gajeel fought hard not to squirm like a guilty child under her regard. He didn't crack, though, and remained strong until the girl sighed heavily.

“Just...lets not do it again, okay?” she said resignedly, and the man finally dared to look back at her, expression wary as he did “Save it for if something actually happens at least?” she ventured.

Gajeel's lips twisted unhappily before he finally nodded and said “Yeah, alright, fine. If you insist.”

“I do,” Levy said with a snort as she opened her now crinkled map and looked at it briefly before setting off again, focusing all her attention on figuring out where they were so she could ignore the way her heart fluttered like a bird behind her breastbone.

Having your crush break a man's teeth for pushing you was _not_ romantic, it was just barbaric! Never mind the way Gajeel had pulled her in flush against him before she'd even made it a step, his strong arms wrapped tightly around her. It certainly hadn't made her go weak in the knees. She _definitely_ didn't get a guilty sense of righteous pleasure at the muffled groans of the man who might have very well killed her. And the way Gajeel had snarled at him for her sake did _not_ make her feel delightfully cherished and protected.

Nope, not at all.

Levy sneaked a peek up at the man in question as he walked beside her. Gajeel's face still looked forbidding, but then, it often did. It was hard to tell sometimes if he was genuinely angry, or just thinking. The expressions looked much the same, which often amused her.

The pair walked on for some time in awkward silence. Neither knew what to say in the wake of Gajeel's show of temper, so they didn't say anything at all. When they did finally arrive at the address Mirajane had given them, Levy heaved a silent sigh of relief.

“This should be it,” she said as they came to a stop on the sidewalk in front of a pretty-ish stone townhouse with a short flight of stairs leading up to the front door.

“Doesn't really look like the kind of place a prince would live,” Gajeel observed suspiciously as he mounted the steps.

“I would imagine that's the point,” Levy pointed out with a smile as she followed him, returning her map to her backpack before reaching out and knocking politely on the door.

When no answer came after a minute's waiting, and Gajeel heard no one moving within, the dragon slayer stepped up and banged on the door himself, making Levy wince as the hinges creaked complaint at the abuse.

When still no answer came, the girl sighed and said “I guess he's not home. We'll just have to come back later,” as she started back down the steps. When she got to the sidewalk, though, and realized that Gajeel hadn't followed, she turned to see what he was doing.

The tall, dark man was crouched before the door and focusing very hard on the door knob. Curious, the bluenette ventured back to his side and was about to ask what he was doing when she realized just what he was about.

“You're picking the lock?!” she hissed in alarm at him as she watched him gently maneuver fingers that had been transformed into thin, carefully shaped strips of metal.

“What, you want me to kick down the door instead?” he drawled as he stuck another finger in the mechanism and twisted carefully “I'm trying to be subtle here.”

“N-no! But Gajeel, this is breaking and entering you know, what if Hawkes comes home?” she demanded as she glanced nervously up and down the street. Thankfully, it was empty at the moment, the hour being late enough in the morning that most people were at work or school for the day.

“Better keep a lookout then,” the dragon slayer said, unconcerned.

Levy was torn between dragging the man away by his ear, and doing as he said for a long moment, before eventually resigning herself to lookout duty. They _were_ on a bit of a schedule, after all. Makarov had wanted them to report back by that evening, and if Hawkes was gone all day then that'd hardly be possible.

Behind her, there was a soft click, followed by a satisfied grunt from Gajeel as the lock gave way and he got back to his feet. Turning the knob, the man pushed the door open and looked cautiously inside, putting out one hand to stop her from entering before him, which earned him a surprised look. He ignored it, though, and when he deemed it safe enough, stepped inside.

Levy closed the door carefully behind them and looked around, while Gajeel sniffed the air cautiously. It smelled stale, and the whole house had that strange, almost muffled quality all buildings seem to acquire when they sit empty for a time.

“Anybody home?” Levy called “Mr. Hawkes?”

“There's no one here,” Gajeel answered confidently as he stepped down the hall “Hasn't been for awhile.”

As she followed after her partner, Levy had to agree that he was right. Though she didn't have his keen senses, it was easy to see the fine layer of undisturbed dust that coated every surface, including the floor. The solid script mage could make out Gajeel's boot prints in it as they came to the first door that opened into what was no doubt a study.

When she looked within, Levy groaned at the sight that met her eyes. The shelves of books, while not 'tossed', per say, had clearly been picked through. Many volumes were missing, while still others were neatly stacked on every flat surface of the room. With a distinct sinking sensation in her gut, the solid script mage had a feeling they wouldn't be finding anything useful here today.

“He's skipped town,” Gajeel said with a quiet growl as he finished his circuit of the room and came to a stop beside her.

“M-maybe he just went on a trip and took his books with him for reference?” Levy suggested hopefully “Lucy said he seemed to be some sort of archaeologist...”

“He's taken more than a normal trip would need, but left everything that didn't have sentimental value,” the iron dragon slayer pointed out as he scanned the room again.

Levy was forced to agree as she too noted the conspicuous empty places on shelves and tables where _something_ had clearly sat before being removed, and it wasn't just books.

The girl sighed, but turned back to the door and said “Well, lets take a look at the rest of the house anyways, just to be sure, then I'll come back and sort through these,” as she gestured at the piles of books “There's always a chance he forgot something.”

Gajeel grunted his agreement and the pair made a brief tour of the house. There was nothing of particular interest on the first floor outside of the study, just a kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom. On the second floor, was an untouched guest bedroom, and what they both assumed was the missing prince's bedroom. This had a similarly rifled through appearance, with clothes tossed about, as well as several more abandoned books.

“He left in a hurry, but not in so much of a hurry that he wasn't able to grab a few things first,” Gajeel observed as he stalked around the room, sniffing curiously. The dust had been making him sneeze since they left the office below, but he was still picking up an unfortunately familiar scent in spite of his clogged nasal passages. He had a feeling he knew what it was, and he wasn't looking forward to finding the source.

“What made him run, I wonder? And when?” Levy puzzled aloud from where she leaned against the door frame, staring into the middle distance “It's obviously been awhile. Could he have left as soon as he got back from meeting Lucy and Natsu at the guild?”

“Doubtful,” Gajeel said as he stepped back into the hallway, eyes narrowed as he spotted a door at the end of the hall, the only one they hadn't tried yet ”It's not like they suspected him of anything. He had nothing to run from that would make him leave so much behind.”

Levy watched the dragon slayer thoughtfully as she followed him down the hall to the final door “You do this sort of thing a lot, don't you?” she said finally.

Gajeel glanced down at her briefly and then shrugged “When I have to.”

The solid script mage didn't get a chance to continue the line of conversation, as her partner chose that moment to open the door.

The smell that wafted out with the change in air pressure robbed Levy of breath and made her gag violently. She took several hurried steps backward out of reflex, and stumbled over her own feet. The girl grabbed at a window sill to stabilize herself before fumbling with it's catch and shoving it open. Warm summer air poured in and the bluenette stuck her head outside and gulped in fresh lungfuls to fight the nausea the stench had brought on.

When she had herself under control again, Levy pulled her head back in and looked around. Gajeel was no longer in the hall, but she could hear his footfalls beyond the door at the end of the hall. Mustering her willpower, the solid script mage grabbed a handkerchief from her backpack and held it over the lower half of her face before following after her partner.

The smell within was awful, but not as bad as it might have been, as Gajeel had opened a window here too. The only sign of discomfort the dragon slayer showed was the way he wrinkled his nose as he crouched over something at the far end of the room.

Levy approached his kneeling form, but was brought up short by the array of shelves that lined the walls of the room. Unlike those in the study downstairs, the books here seemed untouched and unrifled through. The lack of empty spots amongst the tomes lead Levy to hope that perhaps Johnathan had not had a chance to scour them for anything that might be of use to them now.

She stepped forward eagerly, but a sharp word from Gajeel had her freezing in place before she'd gone more than a pace “Don't.”

“What, why?” she asked, brown eyes wide with surprise as she turned to look at him, fingers itching to run along the leather-bound spines of the books before her.

Gajeel shifted and turned, revealing what it was he had been kneeling over when she entered, making the girl's eyes go wider yet. It was the body of a man, desiccated by the passage of time and advanced rot, and obviously the source of the awful smell that had accosted them at the doorway.

“Is-is that...” Levy's words trailed off as she bit her lower lip in horror at the sight laid out before her.

“No,” the dragon slayer said flatly as he turned back to the body before him. He had never seen Johnathan Hawkes, but from the way the man had been described, this had not been him. Even after what seemed to be well over a week's worth of decay, it was easy to tell that this man was too short, and too slight in build to be their missing prince. He was, however, wearing a fitted, dark blue suit with a matching mask, gloves, and shoes.

“Those clothes,” Levy said, voice high and tight as she fought hard to keep herself objective and under control “He's a Telmaran assassin isn't he,” she asked and took a few steps forward until she stood beside Gajeel.

Hearing the tension in her voice, the dragon slayer glanced up at the girl, taking in her abnormally pale face and the way her lips were pressed into a thin line when she was not speaking. Finding himself unexpectedly full of sympathy for the woman, Gajeel nearly told her to leave the room for her own sake. He didn't, though, as he knew too well that she was the only one who'd be able to sort through the contents of the room efficiently for anything potentially useful to Natsu and Lucy. On the other hand, the lack of obvious mortal wound on the body was worrying him, making him indulge in a need to keep her close.

“Yeah,” he answered finally before turning his crimson eyes back to the corpse, his brow furrowed as he reached out and carefully turned the body over to make a more thorough examination of it in hopes of finding a cause of death. There was a great deal of blood on the floor at his feet, time to find out where it had come from.

“What are you doing?” Levy asked in a strangled tone as she rocked back on her heels, but resisted the temptation to take a step back.

“Trying to figure out how he died,” Gajeel answered distractedly, grimacing at the stench and feel of the body beneath his hands as he went about his examination. Thus far he had found only one major wound, a stab to the side that, while messy, certainly shouldn't have killed the man.

Confusion seemed to override some of Levy's horror, and she seemed to finally turn her sharp mind to the puzzle at hand “Didn't Hawkes kill him?” she asked, though a second thought presented itself before her partner ever had the chance to answer “No...no if he had, surely he wouldn't have left this room untouched,” the girl said, brown eyes narrowing in thought “Perhaps he came up here to fetch more books and bumped into his would-be assassin, wounded him, and fled.”

Gajeel grunted his agreement as he finished giving the body a once over “Only question is, what killed this guy?” he grumbled in annoyance. He went to drag a hand down his face, but thought better of it when he remembered he'd just been handling a corpse.

“What's he got in his hand?” Levy asked as she crouched carefully beside him, and pointed to the assassin's right hand, which was still clutched into a tight fist.

Crimson eyes darted to the offending appendage, and the iron dragon slayer scowled at his own carelessness in missing this small detail. Before Levy could dirty her hands doing so, Gajeel reached over and pried the dead man's hand open, the joints cracking in protest, making both mages grimace in disgust.

Once the fingers had been prized back, the pair were startled when several coins spilled forth and clattered noisily to the floor.

“What the hell?” Gajeel muttered as he leaned over to glance at the currency. It was like no money he had ever seen, though they did seem to be made of gold. The wing insignia tickled some distant memory, and the iron dragon slayer struggled to remember where he had seen it before.

“Gajeel?” Levy said as she reached across him and plucked a crumpled slip of paper from the corpse's palm. Unfolding it so he could see, the bluenette's careful fingers revealed a strange arcane circle that appeared to have been drawn in the assassin's own blood.

Not liking the way the puzzle seemed set on becoming more and more complicated, the dragon slayer growled and asked “What is it? Do you recognize it?”

“No,” Levy admitted with a frown as she brought it closer and examined it intently “It's a spell circle of some kind, though not one I've ever come across.”

“Goddammit, I know I've seen something like this before,” Gajeel admitted as he glanced back at the strange coins and, in a moment of weakness, picked one up.

As soon as the skin of his finger came into contact with the curiously warm metal, the entire pile of coins flashed blindingly, and the paper in Levy's hand's combusted, making her yelp in alarm and snatch her hands away. When the light faded a strange figure the size of a small child hovered over the corpse of the assassin before the mages.

“What is _that_?” Levy demanded, so startled that she tumbled sideways into Gajeel, who threw an arm around her and dragged them both to their feet.

It all came back now, where he had seen those bloody coins before. While these had summoned a creature that appeared far less intimidating than another he had seen, the sheer number of coins apparently required to do so filled Gajeel with dread.

“It's an angel,” he said, voice tight as he hauled her up into his arms, crimson eyes darting around the room for a quick means of escape.

The angel was pure white, like all it's kin, and had far too many faces. There was one on each side of it's head, including the back, and a fifth leering up at them from it's chest. It did not speak, though it did smile as it spread it's arms and wings, filling the room with magic that made both mage's hair stand on end.

“Hold on,” Gajeel ordered as he lashed out with one arm that transformed into an iron pile-driver and smashed through the nearest shelf of books, and the wall behind it, opening a gaping hole into empty air. The dragon slayer made a mad dash for the opening while Levy clung to him and watched the angel from over his shoulder as it brought it's small, pale hands together with a crash that deafened them both.

The following explosion filled Levy's vision with fire and an angel's smile before they collided with the unforgiving pavement below.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I mentioned that I enjoy cliffhangers? Cuz I do XD
> 
> Not a lot to say here this week, just a general request that you leave a review after reading, even if it's just a short one! I know it sounds greedy, but I'm really not joking when I say that hearing what you guys think of the story really helps me keep writing! If you don't leave a comment, then who will?


	27. Passing Notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FOR GODS SAKE PLEASE STOP SENDING ME SPOILERS FOR THE MANGA. I don't read the manga. I've said this before, but I'll say it again: I've only been following the anime, so every time someone asks me about whether or not something from the current chapter of the manga will affect my fic something new gets completely spoiled for me *drags hands down face*
> 
> It's nothing against the manga, of course. It's lovely. Its just that I started with the anime first, and once I start with one medium on a series, it's just a personal preference that I stick to it, rather than bouncing back and forth between the two.
> 
> To answer any and all questions related to things in the manga that might impact 'One Wish', I will simply say: If it hasn't happened in the anime prior to the end of the 'Eclipse Celestial Spirit' story arc, then NO, it will in no way be happening in/effecting the plot of 'One Wish'.
> 
> As a side note: I didn't even think about it, but I guess those of you that don't watch the anime wouldn't really know about Angel Magic? It's not something I made up, haha. Check it out on the FT wikia for a break down, because there's not going to be a lot of explanation here since it's something I consider already established.
> 
> Also, this only got the one edit this week, so I apologize if it's a tad rough. I was working on it up til the last minute since I got distracted working on a NaLu mini-comic the last few days, haha. I'll link you guys when it's done ;D

The warm glow of late morning sunshine pouring in through the front window stirred Lucy from her slumber to the point that she lifted one arm to hide her eyes from the invasive glare. Rather, she _tried_ to lift an arm, but found it pinned beneath something warm and heavy at her side. Frowning slightly at this inconvenience, the blonde substituted her other arm, using her free hand to shield her eyes as she forced them open and yawned widely.

As her eyes adjusted, it quickly became apparent who the culprit trapping her was. Lucy's arm had become pinned halfway under Natsu's back at some point in the night, and was now quite numb.

The woman briefly considered pushing at her boyfriend to free herself, but thought better of it, figuring it wouldn't hurt to leave him be for another minute or two. After all, he looked so very peaceful where he sprawled beside her, one of his legs hooked possessively over her's under the blanket. He lay on his back, one hand resting lightly on his stomach and the other hooked under his head, the morning light casting a warm, golden glow over him.

It only took a moment for Lucy to remember that he had decided to forgo pajamas after their shower the previous night, and a blush crept slowly across her cheeks as she registered that his bare hip was pressed up against her leg. She had, at least, decided to don underwear and a sleeping shirt, having never really been one for sleeping in the nude, even when alone. It really shouldn't have surprised her that Natsu _was_.

Pleasant memories of the night before dancing at the edges of conscious thought drove Lucy to carefully lift the blanket and take an appreciative peek at Natsu's lean, muscular form beneath it. While she had a new, in depth familiarity with just about every inch of the man, the blonde had a feeling she could take in this view every day for the rest of her life and not get tired of it.

"Lose something?"

Lucy jolted in surprise and dropped the blanket to look around at Natsu, feeling like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. The dragon slayer was watching her through heavy, half-lidded eyes that struggled against the bonds of sleep, a lazy grin creeping across his features.

"I- what? No, uh-" the blonde stammered, embarrassed at being caught out in her apparently voyeuristic tendencies "You're on my arm," she managed to squeak out eventually.

Natsu shifted slightly to the side, allowing Lucy to pull her arm free from beneath him, and watched as she tried to massage feeling back into the numbed limb.

They had wound up sleeping on the floor the night before after deciding that they'd both had enough of the cramped accommodations of the sofa. So they'd piled all their blankets together and made a bed of sorts. Not the most comfortable thing ever, but at least they got to spread out.

Lucy winced as the pins and needles began lancing up and down the length of her arm when she moved it in an attempt to get the blood moving again. Beside her, Natsu pushed himself upright and said "Here, sit up."

The blonde looked at him curiously, but did as she was told, then turned her back to him when his hands guided her to do so. Lucy winced as he began working the muscles of her shoulder and arm, but quickly relaxed under the pressure of his strong fingers as they coaxed feeling back into the limb.

After a minute, Natsu let his hands trail down the length of her back, then settled them in his lap on the blankets that coiled around his bare hips. Lucy turned to look at him over her shoulder and asked "Where did you learn how to do that?"

The dragon slayer just shrugged and flashed her a grin "Always works for me."

"Oh," the blonde replied with a blink of surprise at this simple answer. She smiled then, and kicked aside the blankets as she made to get up, figuring that a pot of coffee would not go amiss. Before she managed to rise, though, two warm, rough hands caught her by the hips and dragged her back down again.

The same hands took advantage of her surprise to slip up under her shirt and rove across her skin as their owner asked "Where are you going?" in a low voice before pressing a kiss just behind her ear.

"U-um, to start the coffee?" Lucy answered, flushing crimson at Natsu's surprise attack even as he hauled her in closer to him.

"It can wait. You still owe me for your little peep show earlier," he teased with a dark chuckle that made the blood pound in Lucy's ears.

* * *

The concussive force of the explosion was incredible. So much so that it temporarily robbed even Gajeel of all sense of direction. Fighting panic and thinking quickly, with Levy clutched tightly in his arms, the iron dragon slayer spun midair, moments before crashing to the unforgiving pavement across the street from the remains of Johnathan Hawke's house. If he couldn't carry them safely to the ground, he could at least take the brunt of the fall.

Levy grunted as they hit pavement, the impact so hard that she bounced right out of Gajeel's arms and rolled several feet before coming to a stop. It was all she could do to simply lay there and breathe for a minute as she waited for her head to stop spinning and her eyes to focus.

She blinked in surprise when Gajeel's worried face suddenly inserted itself into her field of vision, making her jump in surprise and smack her forehead into his. The bluenette dropped her head back to the pavement and swore uncharacteristically, clutching her head in pain as she rolled away and sat up.

Gajeel was there again a moment later, still looking worried, forehead completely unmarred by her 'attack'. He was saying something, and Levy suddenly realized that she couldn't hear him.

"What?" she asked, her own voice sounding as though it were coming from a long ways away. Gajeel flinched and said something again, but Levy shook her head and clamped her hands over her ears as a high pitched whine started in them.

The iron dragon slayer's frown deepened, but he didn't try to speak again as he stood, then offered her a hand up. Levy accepted it, and took the opportunity to look around.

Horror lanced through her as she took in Johnathan's house. Or, rather, where Johnathan's house had once stood. The building had been reduced to rubble, and was now nothing more than a smoking crater that engulfed half of both houses to either side of it, as well as a good portion of the street in front of it. Windows were shattered for as far as the girl could see up and down the street, glittering shards of glass littering the ground around them.

People were flooding out of homes and onto the sidewalks, crying out in horror even as the city guard appeared on scene, accompanied by several mages who immediately set about extinguishing the fires that remained before they could spread to other homes.

"Are you okay?" Levy asked worriedly as she looked up at Gajeel before turning her gaze to the rest of him. He winced again and the bluenette immediately gave him a once over, convinced he had been injured in the blast. As far as she could tell, though, outside of a few cuts and bruises, the man was fine.

The dragon slayer tapped her shoulder to get her attention, then pointed at his mouth to draw her eyes there, and mouthed slowly _'Stop shouting. I'm fine.'_

A surge of relief washed through the solid script mage before she smiled up at him ruefully, and said "Sorry," in a carefully modulated tone that _felt_ quiet.

The dark haired man nodded before asking _'Are you okay?'_

Levy nodded quickly, though paused to give herself a quick once over to be sure, not noticing that Gajeel did the same with dark, worried eyes as she patted herself down. She smiled up at him and gave him a thumbs up, at which the slayer managed to crack a smile.

Before the pair could say anything more, a rather intense looking man in a uniform that had more stripes on the sleeve than any of the others Levy had noticed cordoning off the area approached them and started (she assumed) asking questions.

Gajeel placed one hand on her shoulder and pulled her in closer to him as the other man spoke. He didn't tug her in against him as he had earlier, but it was clear that he wanted her near, as though he were worried he might have to grab her in a hurry again. She could feel his tension through his hand, though his grip on her was not tight. Looking up at him, Levy watched Gajeel answer the officer's questions with quick, terse sentences. He was speaking too quickly for her to read his lips now, so she could only guess what sort of excuses he might be giving for their presence at the scene of an explosion.

The officer asked another question, and Gajeel looked ready to answer no, but hesitated and glanced down at her. She blinked up at him in turn and watched closely as he asked _'Do you need to go to a healer?'_

Levy considered a moment, then shook her head. Other than a few cuts and bruises she was fine,. Hospital healers wouldn't be able to do much for her ears, and that would be far less than Wendy could do back at the guild.

Gajeel nodded and turned back to the guard and answered the question before hesitating and asking one of his own. The answer he received was long, and the officer's expression seemed to lighten some as he gave it.

A minute later they were finally released, and as they started off down the street, Levy realized that her pack was missing. Looking around frantically, much to Gajeel's confusion, the girl spotted it a moment later and ran to collect it from where it had landed on the front stoop of the house across from the prince's. Apparently the blast had torn it from her back, and the straps were quite ruined. In fact, the entire front pocket of the thing was as well. Luckily, there hadn't been much in there, and what was left she quickly relocated to the main compartment.

When she had finished, Gajeel deftly swept the thing from her hands for the second time that day, taking her by surprise as he sneaked up on her easily, thanks to her lack of hearing. She scowled up at him, but he held it easily out of her reach by the one remaining strap until she gave up and let him carry it.

Before she allowed him to walk off with her things, though, Levy put a hand on Gajeel's arm, making him pause and look down at her in question. Speaking carefully again, a worried frown on her face, the girl asked "How many were injured back there?"

_'None,'_ was the dragon slayer's immediate answer. The relief that surged through the solid script mage made a small tremor ripple through her lithe figure as she withdrew her hand once more and asked a follow up question.

"But how? Those houses..." Levy said, brow furrowed. The homes to either side of Johnathan's had been completely wrecked. Had they simply lucked out and no one had been home?

Gajeel simply raised a hand to forestall her questions though and shook his head before saying _'Later.'_

She didn't like it, but the woman was forced to admit that whatever answer he gave her would probably be too complicated for her to understand just through lip reading. As long as he kept things simple she could manage, but much more than that and she quickly became lost. So, Levy nodded her agreement and the pair started off back towards the train station.

They walked a ways until they reached one of the main thoroughfares, and then paused as they waited for traffic to clear so they could cross the street. Though she didn't notice, Gajeel stepped up behind her to prevent a repeat of that morning's incident, and the glare he leveled at anyone that came close was enough to keep people at bay. Meanwhile, Levy was finding the new, soundless world she was trapped in quite alien, and oddly lonely, despite the crowds that surrounded her.

Her perturbation must have shown on her delicate features, as she felt a warm hand placed on her shoulder once more. Levy glanced up and saw Gajeel behind her, though the man was looking anywhere _but_ at her, as though it were mere coincidence that his hand had found it's way to her person again. She smiled, managing to fight down a blush of pleasure at this little show of compassion for her discomfort on his part.

As they walked, though, Levy began to feel a little awkward. Not because of his hand on her. No. Rather, it was simply an odd way to walk, as though she were a guide for a blind man.

After a moment's consideration, the bluenette gathered her courage for the second time that day, and gently lifted his hand from her shoulder. A brief flash of hurt crossed the man's features, and he moved to pull away from her, but Levy retained her hold on his hand, and placed it on her opposite shoulder as she fell into step with him. With this new arrangement, Gajeel's arm was looped around her shoulders, forcing them to walk very close indeed.

Levy felt a little surge of triumph when the man didn't pull away from her, though he did hesitate briefly, almost stumbling at the change. She couldn't quite bring herself to look up at Gajeel, as she was too busy smiling to herself, but if she had, Levy would have seen a man with the complexion of a tomato wearing an expression torn between panic and pleasure.

The iron dragon slayer eventually managed to get himself under control, though his heart refused to stop beating so loudly that _he_ was practically deaf to his surroundings. However, when they came to another street corner and waited to cross, the sight of a small, casual restaurant made him pause.

Feeling him hesitate, Levy glanced up at her companion, and was surprised by the vaguely embarrassed expression on his face. When he met her eyes, he seemed to come to decision, and jerked his thumb at the cafe he'd been eyeing and inclined his head towards it in invitation.

His question was obvious enough that he didn't even have to say the words aloud for her. Levy's heart leaped in her chest, and her blush intensified as she nodded and smiled her agreement, not quite trusting herself to answer at a reasonable volume.

Gajeel stared at her a moment, and then grinned. Though she couldn't hear it, Levy could imagine his little laugh clear as day.

_'Giihee.'_

* * *

When they had grabbed themselves a table and sat down a minute later, Levy looked around curiously. It was a small restaurant with many other patrons already seated around them, eating or waiting to have their orders taken. From the looks of things, it was the type of place that specialized in comfort food, and lots of it.

The solid script mage turned her attention back to Gajeel, and was about to make some comment on how promising the size of the plates around them were for him, but the sight of him gave her pause. He wasn't looking at her, but, rather, seemed intent on their surroundings. Unlike her, though, the man seemed uncharacteristically nervous, one leg bouncing under the table and his arms crossed tightly over his chest. He even went so far as to scowl at the woman seated at the table next to him when she looked his way a little too long.

Most people wouldn't have characterized these signs not as nervousness, so much as bad temper, but Levy had made it her mission to learn more about the man across from her over the last several months, and knew better. Sure, they didn't get to spend a lot of alone time together, but she did watch him quite a bit.

Not that she'd ever admit it. He'd think she was a total creeper.

"You're going to scare away our waitress if you keep that up," Levy said with a grin, attempting to break the tension with some humor. She wasn't sure what had him on edge, but she wanted to help.

Gajeel's eyes darted back to her, and for a long moment the bluenette thought he might just ignore her. He took a deep breath, though, and seemed to settle himself more comfortably in the chair across from her.

_'Better not. I'm freaking starving,'_ she saw him say, which made the girl laugh.

Gajeel felt the edges of his lips twitch up at the sound, unable to help himself. He really must have been acting on edge for her to have noticed so easily, and he resolved to play it cool. Easier said than done, of course. He was so relieved when the waitress finally _did_ show up with some water and their menus, that he went so far as to flash her a brief smile before he hid his face behind the printed card-stock.

It only took him a moment to decide what he wanted, but he feigned indecision awhile longer to buy himself time to sneak glances across the table at Levy from over the top of his menu.

The bluenette nibbled on her lower lip absently, twirling one lock of blue hair around a finger as she considered her lunch options. She had done her best to neaten her appearance before they had come inside, but there was only so much one could do with a handkerchief and a bit of window glass. She'd gotten rid of the worst of the dirt and ash from the explosion, but the scratches she'd picked up stood out noticeably against her pale skin. With the afternoon sunlight pouring in through the window next to them, though, warming her features and making her sapphire hair glow, Gajeel thought she'd never looked prettier.

She caught him staring, and Gajeel immediately dragged his gaze back down to his menu, the words seeming to dance before his eyes until he hazarded a glance up and saw that she had returned to her own.

As he watched her, the iron dragon slayer found himself reviewing Natsu's list of signs that a girl liked a guy in his head: blushing, spending time, initiating contact...shit, what was the last one? Gajeel wracked his brain for the answer, cursing himself mentally. Just how many times had he repeated the words like a mantra so he wouldn't forget when he finally got just such a chance as this? They were finally alone, practically on a _date_ (okay, so not really, but close!), and _now_ he couldn't remember the last major sign?

He hadn't put a lot of stock in Natsu's advice at first. After all, this was _Natsu_. What the hell did he know about girls, even if his source supposedly _was_ Lucy? As far as he'd been able to gather, the fluff-haired idiot had never dated a girl in his life, barely even known special interest in them, in fact.

He'd just about kicked himself when the pair had shown up at the guild and announced their new relationship status. It had, however, made him start seriously considering the flame dragon slayer's advice.

Compliments! That was the last one! If she liked him, she'd be more pleased by a compliment from him than anyone else!

Well, what with Jett and Droy being the desperate fools they were, Gajeel had plenty of sample material on how Levy acted when receiving a compliment from a man that sat quite firmly on her 'friend' list. She always took compliments from friends, and the occasional stranger, with grace and a pleased smile (except when Jett or Droy had annoyed her and had moved from her 'friend list' down to her very short 'shit list', as Gajeel liked to think of it).

As he watched, Levy seemed to come to a decision, and she folded up her menu neatly before her and then leaned over to grab something out of her pack. She came back up with a notebook and a pen, and began to write something in it.

He should just go for it. As soon as she looked his way again he should just tell her she looked nice or...or something. He immediately thought twice on that, grimacing inwardly even as he folded up his own menu and set it aside to signal the waitress that they were ready.

Just say 'you look nice'? Gods that sounded lame. No, he'd have to be more specific...

"You two ready to order?"

Only years of practice kept Gajeel from jumping out of his skin when their waitress unexpectedly appeared at his elbow from somewhere behind him. He would have given her an ugly look, had Levy not held up her notepad for the other woman to see. The dragon slayer blinked, and read her clear, curling script: _I'll have the roast beef sandwich with coleslaw and iced tea, please._ Apparently the solid script mage had decided she didn't want to risk shouting her order in the middle of a busy restaurant.

The waitress blinked at this unusual way of ordering, but took it quickly in stride and smiled at the bluenette and said "Alright, no problem, miss," before turning to him and asking "How about you, sir?"

Gajeel cleared his throat and said "I'll have the steak, rare, with mashed potatoes and brussel sprouts."

"Alright, I'll be back with your food in a few minutes," the waitress said brightly as she finished writing down their orders and left them alone once more.

The dark haired man grunted, and then turned his attention back to Levy, mentally preparing himself for his experiment, when he realized that the girl was already writing in her notebook again.

A second later, she held it up so he could read: _Brussel sprouts? Really?_

"W-what? I like them," he grumbled, discomfited by the giggle she stifled with one hand, her brown eyes bright with amusement, clearly entertained by this revelation.

Seizing on his opportunity while she was looking his way, Gajeel said "Your hair...er...it looks really...nice today," stammering in his embarrassment as he struggled to get the words out. Gods help him if he was actually blushing right now. He might just go find a bridge and throw himself off of it.

When he dared look at her, the dragon slayer was perturbed to realize that, rather than cracking so much as a smile in his direction, the girl's brow was furrowed in confusion, her head tilted as though she was trying to decipher what it was he had said. No doubt his useless stammering hadn't helped her limited lip reading capabilities.

After a moment, she gave him a helpless shrug, and then pushed her notebook and pen towards him with a small, apologetic smile. If it weren't for that look (he could just _tell_ that she blamed herself for the confusion, dammit), he might have refused to repeat himself. As it was, Gajeel hesitated, but finally accepted the writing implements, and dragged them towards him before writing his words in a careful hand.

Gajeel was not a fast writer, but his handwriting was surprisingly neat, if blocky on the crisp, white paper when he shoved it back towards her. The man looked away, scowling across the crowded room as Levy plucked up her notebook once more and read: _I_ _said_ _your hair looks really nice today._

Levy stared, wide-eyed down at the paper, not quite believing what was written there. After reading it the first time, she read it a second, certain that she had misread the brief sentence somehow. She hadn't though, even on a third reading. His compliment, written in such plain, but sincere words on the page before her made the girl's heart leap in her chest as a blush bloomed across her cheeks and quickly overtook her entire face.

Gajeel looked at her then, and the girl was sorely tempted to hide her face behind her notebook. Distracted as she was, she didn't notice the subtle widening of his eyes as he regarded her, though she did notice the faint blush on his cheeks when she said aloud in a quiet voice "Th-thank you, Gajeel."

The iron dragon slayer knew he shouldn't stare, but he really couldn't help himself. The slow, pleased smile that spread across Levy's face in the wake of his words was like watching a sunrise, except sunrises didn't normally make him feel like his heart was trying to burst right out through his ribcage.

Finding himself quite at a loss for words, Gajeel shrugged and looked away again before he made a fool of himself.

This was...this was good, right? It _had_ to be. He'd never seen her act that way after a compliment before, plus she'd been blushing all morning. And what about the train? Sure, rubbing his stomach could have just been read as wanting to help out a friend with motion-sickness, but what about the way she played with his hair? That definitely counted as initiating contact, right? And there had been several occasions in the past she had asked him to go on missions with her, even if they hadn't all worked out (or had been crashed by her team).

All the signs _seemed_ to be pointing towards her liking him. Question was, now what? He really should have asked Natsu how he made that final leap into actually asking Lucy out. Well, he would make a point to as soon as they got back to town...

The sound of Levy pointedly clearing her throat brought Gajeel's attention back around to her, and she passed him her notebook again. He accepted it automatically, and then looked down at it, reading: _How is it that no one was hurt in the explosion earlier? Are you sure that guard was right? What did you tell him about why we were there?_

He glanced up at her, and took in her concerned expression, all signs of her earlier pleasure gone as the question that had weighed on her earlier came back to bear.

Realizing it would be easier to simply write, he did so: _No one lived in the houses to either side, they were empty. Except for some cuts from flying glass when the explosion happened, no one was hurt. I told the guard we were just walking by when the house blew up. They won't find anything there now, and we've more important things to do than get caught up in an investigation._

Levy accepted the notepad back and nodded thoughtfully as she read his answer, clearly relieved by the first part, and Gajeel realized how horrified she would have been if their own actions had lead to any serious injures, or worse, deaths. He grimaced inwardly at the thought, but his companion was already handing the note back with more of her neat cursive filling the page: _The empty houses would explain why no one reported the smell of the body decomposing upstairs._ She had apparently decided not to comment on the fact that they were withholding information from the authorities. Even a girl as averse to rule breaking as she was had to admit that the iron dragon slayer was right in this instance.

Gajeel grimaced again, outwardly this time, and nodded his agreement on that one. If not for the explosion that had followed, it might have been better if there _had_ been neighbors. Then, maybe, news of Johnathan Hawkes skipping town would have gotten back to the guild sooner.

_What was with that monster? Was it really an angel? I've never seen one before. Was it waiting for us, or someone else?_

The man considered these questions for a moment, his mouth pulled down in a severe frown. As he began to write again, the waitress returned with their food. He grunted his thanks, but kept working while Levy started on her sandwich.

The bluenette accepted the notebook back when he was done, and was startled by the amount of writing on it, while Gajeel tucked into his own lunch. He had included a basic description of angel magic, which he had apparently picked up from Gray, as it had been the ice mage, not he, that had fought and bested Angel.

_My guess is that the assassin sacrificed his life to pay for that angel to set up a trap for Hawkes on the off chance he might come back. The injuries he had weren't enough to kill him on their own, so it was either the magic, or poison, that killed him. I don't know if a delayed summon is even possible with angel magic, but that's what it seemed like to me._

Levy nodded mulled over this new information for awhile, but decided that she didn't have enough data to come to a conclusion of her own, though Gajeel's certainly seemed logical. Taking up her pen again, she wrote: _I'll do some research as soon as we get to the guild. We should head back as soon as we're done here and tell everyone what we found._

Gajeel glanced at the note, and nodded his agreement. His expression was as stoic as ever, but disappointment dragged at his heart. Things were already moving into high gear with the upcoming mission to Telmare, and he had a feeling that their news would only start things moving faster. No doubt there'd be little chance for him to make use of the precious information he had gathered today.

Still, their outing hadn't been a total loss on the personal front. Even now, Levy was smiling at him over the rim of her glass of tea, .

* * *

"Hey, what's this?"

Natsu looked up from towel drying his hair to find Lucy, clad only in a towel herself, standing at the kitchen table, gently lifting a package wrapped in plain brown paper.

"Dunno," he answered, as puzzled as she was, and suddenly feeling wary. Who had been in his house while they were gone? Surely someone hadn't manage to come in while they were sleeping...

Lucy sniffed the package experimentally, and almost immediately relaxed "It's from Virgo, I think. It smells like her anyways."

"Virgo left us a present?" Natsu remarked with a blink of surprise "Well, lets open it!" he added with the broad grin of a little boy on Christmas morning.

The blonde chuckled and shook her head _"You_ open it. It's got your name on it," she pointed out as she flipped the package over and tapped the lower left hand corner where his name had, indeed, been neatly penned directly onto the paper.

Interest peaked, Natsu took his towel and wrapped it around his hips once more, making Lucy flush rather belatedly when she finally realized he hadn't been wearing pants this entire time. The grin he gave her as he accepted the package from her waiting hands only made things worse.

The gift was soft in his hands, but so precisely wrapped that it looked as though it contained a box. The dragon slayer spent a brief moment wondering just how the spirit had managed such a feat before giving up and tearing away the thick, brown paper.

"What is it?" Lucy asked curiously, leaning in to try and peek through the paper to see what lay within.

"It's my scarf," Natsu said with a chuckle as he pulled the length of scaled fabric free of the paper and immediately looped it around his neck. The sensation of it settling across his shoulders eased a tension in him he hadn't realized had been there until it suddenly wasn't anymore.

Lucy reached out and gently tugged on one end of the scarf to relieve a wrinkle, and smiled up at him "That's better. It was pretty weird seeing you without it for so long."

"Right?" Natsu said and laughed "The things I do for you," he teased, making his girlfriend grin and laugh before she turned her attention back to the package.

"What else is in there?" she asked curiously when it became obvious the scarf wasn't the only thing Virgo had sent him.

Realizing that there were several other articles within, Natsu put the package down on the table and pulled them out one after the other. First was a blue and gold jacket, that, at first sight, the slayer was certain was identical to the one he had worn to the Celestial Spirit Realm. Closer inspection, though, revealed that while it was similar, the heart motif had been removed from the front, and replaced altogether on the back with their guild crest.

"Oh, very nice," Lucy murmured appreciatively as she took the jacket from him and held it up for inspection while Natsu pulled out a familiar pair of boots and sash to accompany it. The pants, which had previously been orange, were white now, and had a note pinned to them.

"Dear Prince," Natsu read aloud after unfolding the slip of paper "Please wear these clothes on your next mission, courtesy of myself, and our King. He has a feeling that they might prove useful to you then."

The letter was not signed with a name, though Virgo's now familiar sign had been stamped below the message.

The rose haired mage glanced up at Lucy for some explanation, and was met with the sight of her frowning worriedly as she nibbled at her lower lip. It was obvious that Virgo's words weighed heavy on her, though she had no answers for him.

Instead, he grinned and said "Virgo's pretty good at making clothes, huh?"

Lucy blinked up at him, then smiled hesitantly and said "Yeah, she is, isn't she? I'm glad she got rid of the heart, though, and the white pants go much better than the orange."

"I dunno, I kinda liked the orange," the dragon slayer said, at which Lucy snorted. He smiled again, then, and added "Speaking of clothes, yours might be ready. Wanna go find out?"

The blonde glanced around at the clock on the wall and saw that it was already one o'clock. They certainly had adopted a leisurely pace that morning, and carried it on into the afternoon.

"Didn't Barra say they wouldn't be ready until three?"

"Yeah, she always says that, but they're always done early," Natsu said with a careless wave of his hand as he went to find some clothes while Lucy took a moment to neatly fold the new ones he had received from the spirits.

"Well alright. Lets stop and pick up Happy along the way, though," Lucy suggested brightly, figuring it was a good way to buy a little extra time for the seamstress.

"Alright," Natsu agreed readily "Where did he wind up staying last night?" he asked after a moment, struck by a sudden flash of guilt that he'd barely thought of his little blue friend at all the night before, or that morning. Still, things had been _awfully_ distracting, in the best way possible. Surely Happy would forgive him, if he knew.

"He stayed with Mira," Lucy answered from the bathroom where she concentrated on her magic and gently raised her body temperature until her hair began to dry. She brushed it out quickly as she did so to prevent it from settling at odd angles.

"Wasn't Mira going out drinking last night?" Natsu hazarded as he stuck his head in through the bathroom door, already dressed and ready to go.

The blonde paused as she recalled this as well, before realizing that the s-class mage wouldn't have left the little exceed hanging "I'm sure Lisanna and Elfman looked after him while she was out."

The dragon slayer leaned lazily against the door frame and watched his girlfriend finish her hair and move on to make-up.

"You don't have to put that stuff on, you know," Natsu said.

Lucy glanced at him in the mirror and smiled as she said "I know, but I like to," seeing his puzzled look, the blonde continued "Think of it kinda like war paint, but for...social gatherings."

The rose haired mage considered this for a moment while his girlfriend finished her work, before saying "I guess that makes sense."

"Of course it does," Lucy said smugly as she sauntered past him in search of her clothes, only to have the man hook an arm around her waist and drag her in against him. She turned her face up in surprise, and Natsu captured her lips with his for the umpteenth time that morning. The dragon slayer had always been a physically affectionate person; prone to throwing an arm around someone's shoulders, holding her hand at the drop of a hat, or even just roughhousing with his friends. Once they had started dating, this had increased towards her with little touches here and there, sitting shoulder to shoulder, and a great deal more hand holding. Apparently, after last night, she could expect even more in the future. Lucy rather liked the idea, though she had a feeling it might get embarrassing if he kept it up at this level in public.

When Natsu finally released her lips, the woman chided him as she pulled free of his hold "You know, we're never going to get out of this house if you keep up like that."

"So?" he said with a grin that made Lucy's spine tingle.

She laughed and gathered up her clothes, then re-entered the bathroom, and pushed him out so she could get dressed without him distracting her again " _So_ , we have things to do, Natsu Dragneel. Now get out so I can get dressed."

"Why bother?" Natsu asked as she snapped the door shut in his face with a firm click "I'll only have them off you again later," he teased mischievously. Lucy could _hear_ that wicked little grin of his in the man's voice as he lingered outside the door.

"Natsu!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a transitional chapter here. The story is shifting gears once more! Look forward to the drama and madness to come! ;D I hope you all enjoyed! Please make sure to drop a review to help keep my muse going! She's a picky thing and doesn't like to work if she thinks no one is paying her any attention _; What a bitch.


	28. Battle Royale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A FEW THINGS, PLEASE READ
> 
> For one, there MIGHT not be an update next week (the 27th). I'm not positive. I'll try my best to get one done in time, but my days off got shifted so I could have sunday and monday off to go to a Fall Out Boy concert, plus my friend will be coming down, so things are gonna be a tad hectic. I'll try and get at least a short chapter up. On the plus side, extra long chapter this week, so no complaints! XD
> 
> Second, if you're interested, I have done some illustrations of Lucy's three 'special' outfits (yoga pants, date dress, and new battle gear), check it out on my DA (username Hakari-chan)
> 
> Thirdly, (and more of just a reminder, really) the official tumblr for the fic is still up and running, so if anyone has questions for the characters, hypothetical questions about scenarios in the fic (NO MANGA SPOILERS, DAMMIT), or questions for me, feel free to drop an ask! (it's one-wish-fanfic on tumblr)
> 
> Hope you enjoy! We finally get some action in this one! Turned out quite a bit longer than I anticipated o_O So please, express your gratitude to my muse by dropping a review! ;D

"Natsu!"

"Happy!"

"Natsuuuu!"

"Happyyyy!"

"Oh good grief, you two, it has _literally_ been twenty-four hours since you last saw each other," Lucy said with a snort of amusement as she watched the pair run down the sidewalk towards one another before each leaped into the other's embrace in a dramatic fashion. Then again, perhaps she should cut them some slack. It wasn't as though the pair spent much time apart. An entire day without seeing one another must be strange for them indeed.

"Hey Lucy," Lisanna said as she stepped around the two boys and came to stand beside the blonde, amusement clear on her face.

"Hey Lisanna. Thanks again for letting Happy stay with you guys last night. He didn't cause any trouble, did he?" she greeted the other woman with a smile, unable to shake the feeling of being a parent picking up their child from a play-date.

"Not at all," the silver haired girl said brightly, turning a fond look towards Happy and Natsu as the rose haired mage spun the little cat about by his fore-paws "Mira was out late with the girls, but Elfman, Happy and I played some games and made dinner. It was fun."

"Well I'm glad he behaved," Lucy mused, only furthering the peculiar feeling of parenthood towards the little exceed.

"So, how was your date?" Lisanna asked innocently, glancing at the blonde out of the corner of her eye.

The former celestial mage arched an eyebrow, but couldn't help the slow, but satisfied smile that turned up the corners of her full lips "It was...great," she admitted.

Lisanna's eyebrows shot up at this enigmatic answer, and looked ready to ask another question before she was interrupted by Happy and Natsu finally finishing up their greeting to join the girls.

"Lucy! How was it? Did you have fun?" Happy asked the blonde cheerfully as he launched himself at her and landed across her chest, as was his habit.

"I did!" Lucy said with a laugh as she stroked the exceed's ears fondly, Natsu flashing her a grin when she glanced up at him.

"I'm glad! He treated you right, didn't he?" Happy asked, expression turning serious as he looked up at her, large eyes earnest, before adding in a hushed tone "He didn't try anything _perverted_ , did he?"

From his place behind the exceed, Natsu looked fit to swallow his own tongue, while Lisanna hid a smile behind one hand. Lucy did her very best to keep a serious expression when she replied "He was every inch the gentleman," though a smile did tug treacherously at the corners of her mouth.

While they had certainly gotten up to more than a few 'perverted' things the night before, Lucy decided that it didn't really count as such if she had been a more than willing participant. Quite a lot of it had been at her own instigation, after all.

"Oh good," Happy said with a tremendous sigh of relief "Erza said I was supposed to tell her if Natsu was naughty. Now I won't have too!"

The dragon slayer in question blanched, and had the look of a man who had just dodged a bullet while Lucy laughed and gently disengaged the exceed from her front "No need for that!" she assured him, before turning her gaze from him to Lisanna "So, were you guys on the way to the guild? We were just heading over to your place to get Happy."

The take over mage nodded and said "Elfman left earlier to see if Mira ever made it there, seeing as she never came home last night," looking vaguely embarrassed by this fact.

Lucy and Natsu both looked at the girl in wide-eyed surprise at this revelation. The notoriously responsible Mirajane out all night partying? It certainly seemed unlikely. Granted, _not_ as unlikely as Erza doing the same.

"Think something happened to them?" Natsu asked, torn between concern for their friends, and amusement.

Lisanna shook her head "No, I'm sure we'd have heard about it by now if it had," she said with a small snort "She was with Erza, Levy, Juvia, Wendy, _and_ Cana, after all."

Lucy grimaced and nodded her agreement while Natsu laughed "You're right. I think half the city'd be leveled...Kinda wish we'd gone and spied on them now," the dragon slayer admitted with a grin. The boys of the guild could be rather extraordinarily rowdy once they got a few drinks in them, but they paled in comparison to the ladies on the rare occasions they indulged to the same extent.

"I know what you mean," the blonde agreed, chuckling. She smiled up at her boyfriend and winked, saying "Ah well, we had fun anyways, right?"

Natsu blinked down at her, then flushed a little and grinned "That's true."

While Happy peppered the couple with questions about what they had done on their date (while Lucy and Natsu both showed considerable skill in dodging around certain events), the youngest Strauss sibling wished she were closer to Lucy so she could feel comfortable asking for more details. Sure, they were friends, but she wasn't certain they were _that_ close. Perhaps she could ask Natsu? Then again, that might be awkward, what with him being a guy and all. Men, particularly men like Natsu, just didn't understand the merits of a post-date gush session.

Realizing that they had been neglecting the fourth member of their party, Lucy asked "We were about to head down to the market district before heading back to the guild. Would you like to come?"

Lisanna quickly waved off the invitation with a smile and said "No, I'd better head straight over and make sure Elfman found Mira," as an afterthought she added "Hopefully we don't have to go barhopping to find the girls..."

Natsu snickered, and Lucy swatted him before saying "Alright, we'll be by in a bit to help if you need it."

"Bye, Lisanna, thanks for having me! It was a lot of fun," Happy said cheerfully, hugging the girl tightly before fluttering off to trail after Natsu and Lucy.

"Any time," the take over mage said with a smile as she waved them off.

She watched the trio go for a moment as they fell into step with one another and made their way down the sidewalk. Lucy linked her arm through Natsu's as though it were the most natural thing in the world, and the dragon slayer smiled down at her with a warmth that Lisanna had only rarely glimpsed in the past.

Happiness, and a deep sense of regret, warred for dominance in the woman's heart as the little family turned down a side street and disappeared from view. Happiness that her childhood friend had finally found love so freely given and returned, and regret that it was Lucy, not herself, that he had chosen.

Lisanna took a deep breath and resolved, as she had many times since returning to Earthland, that she would be happy for her friend, and not jealous of the girl that had replaced her. If she were being honest with herself, she knew that Lucy hadn't truly taken anything from her. She still had Natsu's ready friendship...and that was all she had everhad. The blonde couldn't take something that she'd never possessed in the first place.

Perhaps Natsu could have come to love her in time, as he so obviously had Lucy. But, somehow, the other woman had managed in just over a year, what Lisanna could not in almost eight. Wasn't that proof enough that she and the dragon slayer were never meant to be? Or had it simply been a matter of timing? The right girl, in the right place, during the right circumstances...

Lisanna shook herself and started walking. It didn't matter if it was by chance, or destiny, or what. Natsu Dragneel would never be anything more than her friend, and she would simply have to be happy with that.

* * *

"How's the fit, dear?" Barra asked from where she stood just outside the changing room doors while Natsu and Happy lounged against the front counter, waiting for Lucy to make her appearance.

"Perfect!" the blonde exclaimed from the other side of the door "I don't know how you did it in just a day. Color me impressed," the girl added, voice muffled as she apparently donned another article of clothing.

"Old family secret," the wrinkled little woman said with a smug smile "You found the boots too, didn't you?"

"Yes," Lucy replied, confused "They're the right size, but I don't remember ordering any..."

"Call it a complimentary gift for a new customer," Barra said with a smile.

"Oh I couldn't! I know my shoes, and these aren't cheap, Barra!"

"You'll take them and I won't hear another word on it," the old woman said with a proud sniff as her gaze went briefly to Natsu and she added "Call it a 'thank you' for keeping this lad here out of trouble."

"Oi," Natsu groused, though not unhappily.

From the other side of the door, Lucy laughed and said "Barra, I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think the _gods_ could keep Natsu out of trouble. I'm not sure what you think _I_ can do about it."

"You've already done plenty, dear," the seamstress said with a smug smile as Natsu arched an eyebrow at her.

"If you say so," Lucy replied doubtfully. After a moment, she said "Okay, I'm ready!"

Giggling, Happy drummed his paws on the counter, and grinned up at Natsu when the rose haired mage joined in, laughing good-naturedly. A moment later, Barra cast the door open dramatically, and Lucy stepped out, a proud, but shy smile on her face as she struck a pose.

"Woah! Lucy, you look awesome!" Happy cheered as he leaped into the air and flew a circle around her to admire her new clothes.

"Thanks," the blonde said, smile breaking into an outright grin as she dropped the pose and looked down at herself "There's even a loop for my whip!" she said happily as she lifted one fold of the coat to expose the strap built into the half-skirt for her fleuve de etoile, which she had already secured there.

"Well, give us a spin," Barra said, and the blonde obliged. The old woman turned her attention back to Natsu, who was still standing by the counter, staring "Come on, boy, what do you think?"

The dragon slayer gave a start and pushed himself upright from where he had been leaning against the hard surface. One hand rifled absently through his hair as gray eyes roved up and down Lucy's figure.

"I think...I might have the most bad ass girlfriend in the guild," he proclaimed with a grin that was simultaneously smug and delighted at this revelation.

"You got that right," Lucy said as Natsu approached to admire the clothes she had picked out from a closer vantage point.

Lucy had chosen a black, hooded coat with gold trim that fell just past her knees. It's sleeves were long, with a strip of light armor plating down the outside of her arms, and a paneled front. The shirt beneath had a high neck, but cut off at the midriff as many of her favorite shirts did. Her pants were fitted and white, but seemed flexible, and were partially covered by a pleated, blue half-skirt that rode low on her hips. The boots that Barra had so graciously included were dark brown leather, and came up just past her knees in the front, no doubt to afford them some protection in a fight.

The dragon slayer took a step back and nodded his approval "I like it."

"Oh, well, if _you_ like it," Lucy remarked teasingly, poking him in the chest with a finger.

"Paying for it, aren't I?" Natsu countered with a provoking grin as he swatted her hand away lightly. While Lucy huffed in an unconvincing display of hauteur, the rose haired mage turned to Barra and said "You really outdid yourself, Barra. What do I owe you?"

The old woman named a price that made Lucy blanch, but Natsu just blinked and asked "That's all? You sure?" as he pulled out his wallet from an interior pocket of his coat.

"First time buyer's discount," the old woman said with a sniff while Natsu gave her a knowing, but amused, look from across the counter.

"Never heard you give one of those before," he teased lightly even as he flipped through the contents of his wallet.

"Natsu, it's way too much! I can't ask you to pay for all this!" Lucy objected as she reached out in an attempt to stop him from paying.

The dragon slayer just held his wallet up out of her reach, shifting it from hand to hand as she jumped fruitlessly in an attempt to grab it. He gave her a baffled look and asked "What's the big deal? I can afford it. Besides, you didn't ask me to."

"That's not the point!" Lucy opined, giving up on trying to take the wallet, as she was unwilling to resort to violence in the middle of a tightly stocked shop to do so "It's too much money, you have to at least let me pay for part of it," she said firmly, fists planted on her hips as she glared up at him, silently wondering just what had happened lately that people seemed to think she was incapable of paying for necessities. First Erza paying for her roof, and now Natsu with her clothes! What next? Gray doing her grocery shopping?

"Don't you like Natsu's present, Lucy?" Happy asked, wide-eyed as he watched the pair curiously.

"Of course I do! I just feel bad making him pay for something so expensive!" the blonde exclaimed as she turned her attention briefly to the little blue exceed.

"You're my girlfriend, aren't you?" Natsu asked, both eyebrows raised as he looked askance at Lucy.

"What? Of course I am," the girl responded, caught off guard by the question.

"Well, that means I can buy you stuff if I want to, then," the slayer said with a sniff and quickly passed over the money before the girlfriend in question could intercept him.

"But-" she began.

"Oh just shut up and accept already. You weren't complaining yesterday!" he grumbled as Barra wisely kept her opinions to herself, and focused on counting out the mage's change.

"That was before I knew how much it was going to cost!"

A thought occurred to Happy, and he grinned as he chimed in "Look at it like an investment for Natsu, Lucy! He just doesn't want you to wind up naked every time you use his magic, so he's taking preventative action!"

The blonde stared at the exceed, who gave her a guileless smile as a faint blush began to creep up her throat and across her cheeks.

Knowing a good out when he heard one, Natsu beamed and said "Right! Exactly! You wouldn't even need new clothes if you weren't saddled with my magic, after all."

Lucy scowled and narrowed her eyes "Well if we're getting _that_ technical, then I wouldn't have your magic in the first place if I had never made that wish!"

"But you couldn't have made the wish if it wasn't for that Johnathan guy not telling us what that thing was!" Natsu countered, grinning triumphantly and crossing his arms over his chest.

"Is the money really that important?" Happy said weakly in an attempt to diffuse the argument.

"Yes, but it was my idea to accept that job from the start!" his girlfriend argued, poking him in the chest again, still scowling.

Knowing he had her beat in the blame game now, Natsu leaned in and said "Johnathan was the one that made the request in the first place!"

Nose to nose, now, the couple stared one another down for a long minute, until the edges of Lucy's lips twitched, and a smile gradually bloomed there as she said "I think you just successfully argued that Johnathan should have to pick up the bill for my new clothes."

Natsu blinked, and then chuckled "Yeah, alright then. We'll get a receipt and he can pay me back later."

Lucy rolled her eyes, but finally let the argument go. Her boyfriend smiled and kissed her nose before pulling away again and turning to Barra to collect his change...and a receipt.

* * *

Natsu could feel something was up from the moment they walked into the guild, and judging by the way her grip on his hand tightened, Lucy could too. He had expected some teasing and knowing looks from their guildmates today, and there was certainly plenty of that, but there was an undercurrent of tension that put the former dragon slayer on edge.

"What's going on?" Lucy murmured, half to herself, and half, Natsu presumed, to him. When she glanced up at him, her brow was furrowed, and her dark eyes wary.

"Dunno. Let's find out," he said with a fierce sort of grin as he spotted Gray seated at a table nearby.

The ice mage had been feeling vaguely...off...all morning. Now, as he sat finishing an after lunch drink, the dark haired man was becoming more and more convinced that this was, in some way, Juvia's fault. He could see her even now, seated with the same group she'd gone out with the previous night a few tables away. None of them appeared to have changed clothes, and every one of them had that rumpled, tired-but-happy look that one often has after a particularly good party.

Mirajane appeared to have fallen asleep, despite the mug of coffee in one hand, and she was now slumped over with her head resting on Erza's shoulder. The requip mage (the only one that looked like she had gotten some sleep the night previous) was saying something to Cana, while Wendy yawned widely from her seat between Juvia and and the card mage.

The water mage had given him a brief wave when he had entered earlier that day, but ever since then, hadn't so much as glanced at him while she carried on chatting with her friends. Gray was thoroughly torn on this new-found closeness with her guildmates. On the one hand, having her following him about, obsessing over him had been annoying to say the least, and it was nice to see the woman interacting with others for a change. But on the other hand, Gray felt oddly...lonely, like a man without a shadow. He'd gotten so used to Juvia's near constant presence at the periphery of his vision, that not having her there all of a sudden was disorienting. Before yesterday, even if he couldn't see her, Gray could always _feel_ when she was around, watching his every move for gods knew what reason. But now, she sat with her back solidly to him, apparently not giving him a second thought.

What had changed? And why did it bother him so damn much? It wasn't like he _wanted_ her to stalk him everywhere he went. This was an _improvement_...

"Oi, Gray."

A calloused hand on his shoulder made the ice mage start and look around to see Natsu behind him, with Lucy and Happy in tow. There was an odd tightness around the other man's eyes, and Lucy's own gaze was roving across the crowd of mages around them. When she spotted her friends, a small smile pulled at the corners of her lips, but she did not move to join them.

Rather, she looked at him and asked "What's going on?"

Gray looked at her, confused for a moment, before he realized what it was they were no doubt asking him "Master posted the list for the job," he answered flatly.

"What? Already?" Natsu asked in surprise, turning to look at the job board, eyes narrowing when he noticed the crowd around it. He set off towards it without so much as a thank you, Lucy and Happy following closely behind.

"I wasn't expecting him to post it for at least another day," Lucy remarked as they pushed their way through the crowd.

"That's Master for you," Happy mused as he latched onto the blonde's shoulder so he wouldn't lose them in the crowd.

"Freaking move, dammit!" Natsu snapped in front of them, and bodily moved two mages out of his way so they were finally face to face with the job board.

"There it is!" Lucy said, pointing over her boyfriend's shoulder as she spotted one unusually plain poster filled out in the Master's spiky scrawl.

It read: _By the order of the Guild Master, the following members are to report to him personally, as soon as possible_

_Erza Scarlett_

_Gajeel Redfox_

_Wendy Marvell_

_Gray Fullbuster_

_Juvia Lockser_

There were no other details on it, something that confused many of the guild members, but those that had been in the meeting knew exactly what it was about.

"W-we're not on the list," Lucy said faintly, not quite believing her own words as she read, and then reread the poster.

"But why?" Happy demanded "Wendy and Gajeel are going, and that means Carla and Lily will be too!"

With her hand on his shoulder, Lucy could feel the tension growing in Natsu even before he whipped around and shouted "Gramps! Where are you, you wrinkly old bastard?!"

Before she could try to stop him, Natsu had charged off into the crowd again, bowling over any hapless mage that got in his way. Before he got much further, though, the dragon slayer was intercepted by Erza.

"Natsu, calm down," the red head told him sternly, arms folded over her armored chest.

"Screw that," the man spat as Lucy and Happy caught up "Why aren't Lucy and I going? We've got more on the line than-"

A subtle shift in the dynamic of the crowd around them dragged all of their attention to the main doors, Natsu scowling in confusion and annoyance until he saw who had arrived.

"Levy!" Lucy called as she hurried towards her friend. The bluenette didn't seem to notice until she was almost on top of her, despite her shouting over the crowd. When the blonde reached her side, she looked her up and down, and demanded "What happened?!"

While her friend didn't look particularly injured, she definitely had a few scrapes and bruises that she knew hadn't been there yesterday. When Levy hesitated to answer, Lucy looked askance at Gajeel, a tight frown on her pale features.

"It was a trap, and we walked right into it," Gajeel admitted reluctantly, scowling at his own perceived shortcomings before adding "She needs to see Wendy."

"What, why?" Lucy asked worriedly as she looked back at Levy again, who gave her an apologetic sort of smile.

Having overheard Gajeel's words, Natsu arrived with their fellow dragon slayer in tow, the petite girl looking Levy over worriedly while her companion repeated his girlfriend's question "What happened?"

"There was an explosion," the iron dragon slayer explained "It seems to have damaged her hearing."

"I think it's time we heard your report," came a voice from behind them, making everyone but Levy turn, until she noticed what they were doing.

Makarov stood there, frowning up at them, eyes grim as he continued "Everyone in my office, now."

* * *

The office was cramped, but as it was only the nine of them (plus Happy), Makarov did not activate the size spell that would have afforded them more room to spread out in. The master was once again seated at the head of the table, while Gajeel sat at the foot, with Levy to his right and the others arrayed in between.

Levy kept quiet while the iron dragon slayer reported what little they had found, her head slightly bowed to allow Wendy better access to her head as she worked her healing magic on her. By the time the dark haired man had finished speaking, she was rubbing her ears experimentally, relieved to realize that she at least had partial hearing back.

"How is she?" Gajeel asked Wendy, expression grim as Makarov seemed to mull over the new information he'd been provided.

"Improved enough that I can hear your question," Levy said before Wendy had a chance, beaming at the slayer as she lowered her hands into her lap "Not quite one hundred percent, though," she admitted.

"It will take a few more treatments over the next couple of days to completely repair the damage, but I'd say she has at least seventy percent of her hearing back," Wendy said with an apologetic smile "The auditory system is quite delicate and complicated, it's best to take things slow if at all possible."

Gajeel seemed unhappy at this answer, but Levy turned and smiled gratefully at the sky dragon slayer "Thank you so much, Wendy. I don't know what we'd do without you!"

"O-oh! It's no problem," the girl replied hurriedly, glancing shyly between Gajeel and the solid script mage causing the older slayer to feel a guilty prick to his conscience.

"She's right. Thanks, Wendy," he said. He didn't smile, but he was obviously just as grateful as Levy herself, and his words of approval made the girl blush and bob her head.

"So, how does all this affect the mission?" Gray asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest as he looked down the table at Makarov.

"Beyond the unexpected appearance of an angel, it seems the only thing of consequence learned is that the prince has apparently made a run for it" the old master said tiredly, pinching the bridge of his nose as he spoke.

"There wasn't anything left in his house that could have told us more about that damn star?" Natsu asked, leaning over slightly so he could glance down the table at Gajeel and Levy.

"You heard the report, flame breath," Gajeel growled irritably, at which Natsu bared his teeth, a gesture that was not quite as frightening as it had once been.

Lucy placed a gentle hand on his arm before he could say anything though, and the former slayer forced himself to take a breath and sat back in his chair. He did so hard enough that it rocked slightly, but he made no further comment.

"I'm sorry Lucy, Natsu," Levy said "For the most part, the library seemed picked over, except for that last room, but..."

"It's alright, you couldn't have known that assassin was going to blow it up. I'm just glad you weren't too badly injured," Lucy said to her friend from her spot on the opposite side of Wendy.

"She's right," Natsu agreed with a sigh and an apologetic grimace at Levy and Gajeel "You guys did us a favor just by going, and look what happened," he said, waving a hand in their general direction "I'm sorry."

Levy smiled at Natsu, and Gajeel relaxed a little as Makarov took the reigns of the conversation once more.

"So, an assassin from the same school as the ones that went after Lucy and Yukino showed up at our missing prince's house," the Master mused aloud, tugging idly on his mustache "Kind of implies that he and the king aren't on good terms."

"Assuming the king even sent them in the first place," Wendy remarked.

"Princess Hisui _did_ mention that he has been missing from his own country for several years," Juvia pointed out. They all mulled these thoughts over for a moment, but without more information, it seemed rather a moot point.

Makarov sighed, and then waved a hand irritably "We go ahead as planned. None of this changes anything, unfortunately, besides adding another wild card to the deck," he grumbled "I've secured passage for the five of you on a merchant ship leaving from the port here in three days, so-"

"Seven," Natsu interrupted flatly, glaring challenge at his Master, who scowled in return.

" _Five,_ " the old man replied emphatically.

"Seven, or we'll find our own damn passage and just meet them over there anyways," the fire dragon slayer said, hands white-knuckled where they gripped the edge of the table.

"You know we will," Lucy added, voice quiet, but level from where she sat beside Natsu, her hands clasped tightly in front of where Happy sat on her lap "So you might as well save us all some trouble and simply arrange for us to go with the others," she said with a thin smile.

"That's right! You can't keep us here," Happy chimed in unhappily "This is way too important!"

"Listen here, brats," Makarov began, one fist slamming down on the table.

He was interrupted by Erza, though, as she said "Natsu, Lucy, I know how you feel, and I _know_ that you have even more at stake in this than the rest of us...but you _can't_ come, you're-"

"Without your magic, you're both a liability," Gray cut in when the requip mage hesitated over the words she knew needed saying "It's not your fault, and we all want to help, so just let us do this. Stay here, and trust us to get the job done. We'll find out what we can about that star of yours while we're over there."

Natsu went stock still, and to Gajeel, it looked as though he stopped breathing, his pupils shrinking to pinpoints as he stared at Gray, looking for all the world like the ice mage had just stabbed him in the back. Inwardly, the iron dragon slayer winced sympathetically, though he kept his outward expression carefully neutral as he waited to see what the other man would do.

"We are no such thing," Lucy said, breaking the frigid silence that had descended over the room as everyone waited for Natsu to snap. That it was Lucy who had spoken first seemed to take everyone off guard, including her boyfriend.

He blinked at her, noting the fine tremor that ran through her frame, and Happy was quickly vacating her lap in favor of Wendy's as the temperature around the girl spiked sharply.

"What?" Makarov asked, as though he had misheard her.

"I said, we are _not_ a liability to this team," Lucy repeated, narrowing her eyes as she stared the old master down "We can hold our own. If you don't believe me, then give us a test. If we fail, then we'll stay here, no arguments."

"Lucy," Erza began, but Makarov held up a hand, and the red head fell silent as he seemed to search the blonde's hard, determined eyes with his own.

"Alright," he said finally, making everyone but Gajeel and Lucy herself look at him in surprise "How about this; if you can hold out against Erza for five minutes, I'll let you go."

Lucy glanced at Natsu to see if this offer was acceptable, and the man's formerly rigid features broke into a slow, menacing grin "Done."

* * *

Outside a few minutes later, a veritable mob had gathered around the gates, all craning for a view of the courtyard in front of the guild. All the tables and chairs that normally occupied the area had been stacked to either side, and Makarov was working to lay ward spells to minimize and contain any potential damage from the coming fight.

While most of the guild had spilled out into the street to watch the fight, some remained in the open doorway to watch, including those who had been in the office with Makarov.

Gray leaned casually against the door frame, watching as Natsu and Lucy headed to one end of the courtyard, and Erza took up her place at the other to wait for things to start. The couple were speaking quietly amongst themselves as Happy hovered overhead, and the ice mage wondered what sort of strategy they could be coming up with to help them win.

"Juvia is not sure if Gray called Natsu and Lucy a liability because he honestly believes it, or if he was hoping it would goad them into challenging the Master so they would be allowed to join us on the mission," came a curious voice from behind him.

The ice mage glanced over his shoulder to see Juvia there, head canted slightly to one side as she watched him with her big, blue eyes. She was still wearing the same dress from the night before, but her long sapphire hair was no longer pinned up as it had been yesterday. The water mage had also removed the bulk of her make-up at some point, though all of these little details barely registered for Gray.

"A little of both, maybe," he admitted, the answer springing to his lips in spite of himself.

A small smile tugged at the woman's lips as she stepped up beside him, and silence fell over the pair of them as they waited for the show to begin.

"Have fun last night?" Gray found himself asking in a strange need to fill the quiet.

"Oh yes," the bluenette said pleasantly "We had a great deal of fun, and a great many fruity drinks with little umbrellas in them. There were also less fruity drinks with no umbrellas at all. Sometimes there were olives on little toothpicks, though."

"Oh," Gray said, at a loss on how to reply to this.

Before he could try, though, Juvia continued "The girls have been very kind. They have been teaching Juvia that the way she follows Gray around all the time means she does not have enough self respect, and self respect and self love are something Juvia should cultivate before Juvia loves someone else."

Gray stared at the woman beside him as she smiled out at the world in general, feeling completely at sea.

"Juvia has not always liked herself, so Juvia does not think that this will be easy," the water mage continued "But they asked how someone was supposed to love Juvia when Juvia did not love herself, and Juvia could not answer them."

The woman's smile faded as Gray watched, and he felt a peculiar wrenching in his gut at the sight. Without thinking, he said "I think you're great."

Juvia turned and blinked at him, eyes going wide as a small tremor echoed through her. For a moment, the ice mage was terrified that she might explode into the kind of hysterical shows of affection he had come to know her for, and almost regretted saying the words, though couldn't quite manage it. He knew all about not liking yourself, after all.

"T-Thank you," the bluenette managed after a long, quiet moment "Hearing that makes Juvia _very_ happy."

"N-no problem," the ice mage stammered gruffly as he turned his gaze out towards the courtyard, where it looked like the fight was ready to begin. Maybe if he focused on something else for awhile, his heart would stop pounding so loudly in his ears.

* * *

"Alright, we need a strategy if we're going to make this happen," Lucy said as she, Natsu, and Happy reached the other end of the courtyard from Erza.

The dragon slayer nodded and said "You need to get in there and hit her hard and fast. She won't be expecting it; she'll probably underestimate you at the start, so take advantage of it while you can."

Lucy nodded her agreement and added "Alright. You keep to the back, and give me Taurus to work with, I need someone that can counter sword-play," she went thoughtful for a moment as Natsu nodded his agreement, then continued "Keep Sagittarius back with you and use him to keep her out of the air, and pin her in place."

"Gotcha," the former dragon slayer said with a grin.

"What about me?" Happy asked from where he hovered overhead "I want to help too!"

"Stay back for the moment, but keep an eye on us. We'll be relying on you to drag us out of the way if something goes wrong," Natsu instructed the eager exceed.

"Aye sir!"

"Alright you brats, get over here!"

Makarov's voice boomed across the courtyard, making the crowd outside fall silent as the four mages approached and waited for instruction.

"Alright, rules are simple," the guild Master said, arms folded over his chest as he squinted up at them "If you three," he pointed at Natsu, Lucy, and Happy "are still standing at the end of five minutes, I'll add you to the mission roster. No using heavy attacks, I don't want you lot wrecking the guild and burning down half the damn town, got it?" he asked, glaring at all four of them now "The wards will stand up to a lot, but it was a quick job so they'll only do so much."

"Yes, Master," Erza said with a faint smile of amusement.

"Yes sir," Lucy and Happy chimed together.

"Don't demolish the city, got it," Natsu said with a wicked grin, making Makarov scowl.

"Alright, everyone take at least ten steps back," the wizard saint commanded, and the fighters obliged, though Natsu continued further, putting him safely out of range for the time being.

Meanwhile, Makarov retreated to the doorway before shouting "Alright, go!"

Lucy lunged immediately across the courtyard, dragging up Natsu's magic from her core hard and fast, and pouring it into her limbs. The strength it gave her allowed the blonde to close the distance between her and Erza in a blink, the requip mage's wide-eyed surprise everything she could have hoped for in the moment before she slammed her fist into the woman's chest plate. The deafening bang that accompanied the heavy dent Lucy left behind filled her ears as Erza flew backwards and collided with the courtyard wall.

A cry of shock erupted from the surrounding crowd, but Lucy paid it no mind as she gave Erza a moment to get back to her feet.

"I underestimated you," the red head mused as she dusted herself off, and summoned a sword to her free hand "You anticipated that and acted accordingly. Good job," she said with a smile "You really have been practicing."

"Thanks, that means a lot, coming from you," Lucy said with a genuine smile as she settled into a fighting stance once more.

"Enough chit chat, Lucy!" Natsu shouted from behind her, even as Taurus appeared at her side, accompanied by the familiar toll of a bell. A second ring told her that he had brought Sagittarius onto the field as well.

"Lucy! It's been so long since I've seen your nice body!" the bull bellowed happily as he grinned down at her and hefted his ax.

The blonde rolled her eyes but smiled "Yeah, well, do me a favor and help me keep it in one piece for the next few minutes?"

"Gladly," Taurus said cheerfully as he squared off against Erza, who's attention was on Natsu, where he stood at the opposite end of the courtyard.

"Two spirits at once? I guess you aren't the only one that's been practicing," she mused as Taurus lunged, swinging his heavy, double-headed ax at the red head.

Erza summoned a second blade and brought both up to counter the spirit's attack, allowing Lucy to duck in under her guard and land a second heavy strike that dented the woman's armor further. She could have aimed for her knees, or somewhere less protected, but as they were only fighting to prove they could hold out against the S-class mage, along with the fact that they would need her in good shape for the upcoming mission, Lucy restrained herself. She had no doubt Erza was doing the same.

The requip mage grunted at the strike, and Lucy was taken completely off guard when she was able to not only push away Taurus' ax, but continue the motion around so the blades swept directly for her throat.

Lucy dropped fast and rolled away as Erza lunged after her. She was brought up short, though, when she was forced to block a second swing from Taurus. The spirit was slower with his blade than she was with hers, but his attacks were so powerful, that they required both of her swords to block them, allowing Lucy a chance to not only get to her feet, but land a solid kick to the back of Erza's knees, making the woman topple to the ground.

She recovered admirably, though, tucking into a roll that carried her between the bull spirit's legs where she sprang to her feet and instantly requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor, it's silver wings carrying her high into the air.

Natsu, watching the fight impatiently and wishing he could be the one squaring off against Erza rather than his girlfriend, felt a burst of pride as he watched Lucy fight. She worked well with Taurus, no doubt thanks to years of watching the bull in action. She knew just what he was likely to do, and took advantage of the openings in Erza's defense he afforded her.

When the requip mage went airborne, Natsu was ready "Shoot her down, Sagittarius!" he commanded. He may not be much help in the hand-to-hand department at the moment, but he could damn well do his part all the same.

The spirit nodded and said "Hello!" as he drew his bow and fired off several lightning-quick shots in rapid succession. Erza was able to block most of them, but enough hit that it forced her lower, putting her in range of Taurus and Lucy's unexpected combo.

"Taurus!" the blonde shouted as she sprinted towards him, and then jumped.

"Gotcha!" The bull said with a grin, spinning with the flat of his blade outstretched, just as Lucy passed him in the air. His ax connected with her feet, giving her an extra boost without forcing her to use up extra magic.

Lucy shot towards Erza like a bullet, even as Sagittarius fired several more arrows to prevent the red head from slipping sideways to dodge the attack.

"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" the blonde cried as fire engulfed one hand just before she slammed it into one of Erza's glittering wings. The metal construct shattered under the force as Lucy continued on and landed on the roof of the guild, spinning to watch the requip mage drop unsteadily from the air to land in a crouch on the ground.

Without wasting so much as a moment, Taurus darted in, bringing his heavy ax up over his head, preparing for a brutal downward strike...only to receive a fierce blow to the back of his head from the hilt of a sword Erza had summoned.

The bull dropped like a sack of potatoes, and Natsu winced as the connection between them was forcefully cut, leaving just him and Sagittarius to receive Erza's attentions. She rounded on them, and her three good wings propelled her forward, a blur of silvery vengeance that made the dragon slayer dive in one direction, and his spirit in another.

Sagittarius was too slow, though, and Erza struck him with the flat of a blade in passing, successfully knocking him out and severing the connection to his summoner. Natsu swore as the requip mage bore down on him, and he was forced to roll to avoid one of her blades.

Pulling on Lucy's magic, Natsu let it's golden light pour through him as he sprang up inside Erza's guard, grabbing one of her silver plated arms and pulling it down over his shoulder as he leaned forward, forcing her to move with him, or get a broken arm for her troubles. The red head grunted as she was thrown, but rolled nimbly as she hit the ground. She leaped forward again, and Natsu was forced to duck and weave as she chased him with flashing blades.

One successful punch to her exposed stomach afforded Natsu the opportunity to grab her hand and twist hard, forcing the woman to drop the sword therein. It clattered to the ground, and the dragon slayer kicked it away. He knew better than to try and come at the woman with one of her own blades. She'd have it out of his hand and at his throat before he could say 'en garde'.

For his troubles, Natsu found his feet swept out from under him, and he grunted as he hit the ground, driving the wind from his lungs. With her armor equipped, he was struggling to keep up, even with his own movements augmented by Lucy's magic. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding Erza's descending blade, fetching up against the one he had discarded a moment before.

Against his better judgment, Natsu grabbed it, and brought it up as hard as he could, blocking the requip mage's second strike. Erza only smiled and summoned a second blade to her free hand, making the rose haired mage swear impotently. It was taking all of his strength to keep the first blade from his throat, though, and Natsu found himself at a loss on how to fend off the second. The silver blade was a blur as Erza brought it in a final, downward arc, only to be interrupted by a flash of blue-gold light that arrested it's descent.

Erza looked around in surprise to see Lucy behind her, fleuve de etoile in hand as she shouted "Happy, get him out of there!" and pulled upward with all her strength, making the requip mage yelp in surprise as she was lifted into the air and slammed back down a few feet away.

"Aye!" the exceed shouted as he swooped in and dragged Natsu up by the coat and carried him into the air, making him drop Erza's sword in the process "Oof! Natsu, why are you so heavy?!" the little exceed demanded as he struggled for altitude.

"What? I am not!" the former slayer shouted as Erza got to her feet below and faced off against his girlfriend.

"You're as bad as Lucy usually is!" the cat grunted as they hovered.

"It's not like I got fat or something," Natsu complained in an offended tone "and I'm wearing my usual clothes! I'm not even carrying anything-" the man paused, and his eyes went to his belt, where Lucy's key's rested "Wait, is it the keys?"

"What? It's not like _they're_ heavy or anything," Happy scoffed.

"No, but they _are_ magical," Natsu commented as he watched Erza and Lucy circle one another warily for a moment before the red head closed the gap between them.

"Well, I guess maybe their magic could interfere with mine..." Happy agreed reluctantly before his attention was diverted entirely "Wow! Look at Lucy go!"

As Erza lunged in, twin swords at the ready, the blonde lashed out with her whip, nearly catching the red head across the cheek, making her flinch. It didn't stop her forward momentum, though, and Lucy was forced to throw herself sideways, then leap away to give herself some space. If only she had something that could counter a blade! Her whip was strong enough to catch one if she held it between two hands, but that meant Erza had to be uncomfortably close. If the fleuve de etoile was just _heavier,_ then maybe she could-

Lucy blinked in surprise as she dropped from the air unusually quickly, and landed in a neat crouch, staring at her weapon. Suddenly, it really was heavier in her hand. Significantly so, to the point that she wasn't sure she'd have been able to lift it without Natsu's magic.

"You know, a manual or something for this thing would have been really nice, Virgo," Lucy muttered to herself, but she was smiling now, as she stood and watched Erza come. The timing on this, the woman knew, would have to be perfect, or the requip mage would cut through her like so much wet tissue paper...Or, considering this was supposed to be a friendly match, knock her on her ass.

Erza leaped into the air, and swung both blades down towards her opponent, afternoon sunlight glittering off her brightly polished armor. Lucy dragged her whip up into an arc over her head and struck the blades broad side with the thong, the resulting impact clanging as though she had just struck home with a steel cable.

The S-class mage's eyes went wide as the force of the hit sent her attack wide, and stumbled as she landed. She rounded on Lucy, blades at the ready while silence descended on the make-shift arena as the two women stared one another down. Above them, Natsu was torn between summoning another spirit, and just letting things play out for the time being.

In a flash, both women were moving again, Erza charging again, while Lucy flashed her whip in blinding arcs that cracked the cobblestone at her feet. The sudden flurry of motion forced the requip mage to keep moving, testing Lucy's new defense for a weak point, only to have first one sword, and then another snatched right from her hand and tossed high into the air. Natsu caught the second as he and Happy circled over the fight, watching Erza summon two more blades and then suddenly shift into her leopard printed Flight armor.

Lucy's eyes went wide as the other woman used her improved speed to dart past her whip and close the distance between them.

Before she could make contact, though, Natsu dropped out of the air and brought Erza's own sword crashing down on the red head with all the force of his body weight behind it. Their opponent was forced to abort her charge and throw up her guard as the impact of Natsu's sent her skidding back several feet on the balls of her feet.

The former dragon slayer crouched protectively in front of Lucy, sword in hand as Makarov shouted "Time!"

All three mages turned to look at their Master in surprise as a cheer went up from the crowd around them. Natsu pushed himself to his feet, just in time for Lucy to throw herself at him from behind, jumping on his back as she crowed "We did it!"

The man nearly toppled at the sudden attack, but dropped Erza's sword and grabbed his girlfriend's legs as she latched them around his waist as he laughed "Hell yeah we did!"

Happy landed on Lucy's head, making them a totem pole of grinning mages as the little exceed cried "Lucy, that thing you did with your whip was so cool! I didn't realize you could make it heavier!"

"Neither did I, actually," the blonde admitted with a wry laugh, before leaning down and planting a kiss on the top of one of Natsu's ears "Thanks for saving me, by the way. I didn't even notice you catch that sword I threw!"

"Yeah, well, you know me. Always picking up souvenirs," the man said with a grin as he walked them all towards Makarov, who waited by Erza.

The old man looked vaguely annoyed, but the red head seemed nothing but pleased.

"Good match," Erza said with a smile as she offered her hand to shake "You really have been practicing. I think everyone will agree when I say that you two work better together now than you ever did, before," she added.

With Natsu's hand's occupied, Lucy reached around him and accepted the handshake on all their behalves "Sorry about your armor," she said with an apologetic smile as her brown eyes darted down to the heavy dent she had left in Erza's Heart Kreuz breast plate.

The requip mage sighed and patted her battered armor "It's alright. Nothing the armorer can't handle I think. You made your point, anyways," she said with a smile at her younger friend.

"You'd better be planning to keep your promise, Gramps," Natsu said, glaring challenge down at the old man as Lucy slipped down from his back, Happy still perched on her head.

"Like I have a choice?" the old man grunted, frowning fiercely right back up at the rose haired mage. His expression softened after a moment, though, and he relented, saying "Still, it was a good match. I can see we all underestimated you two."

"Three!" Happy chimed in, making Natsu and Lucy grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously I'm just kind of guestimating on how long it was Lisanna has known Natsu, seeing as we don't know know exactly how old they were when they met. I just guessed 7 years old. It's really hard to tell with anime kids, okay? *coughs*
> 
> Also, yes, the long bit on a whip really is called a 'thong', lol.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed! This week's chapter was one of the longest! Call it make-up for the fact that next week's will probably be a bit on the short side (if not absent all together. Read the top author's notes for more).
> 
> Please make sure to drop a review if you enjoyed! They definitely help keep me writing, so do yourself a favor, huh? ;D


	29. Story of Our Lives

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I don't know why, but this chapter was crazy hard to write -drags hands down face-. Not even for any particular reason, my Muse was just being a pain :P  
> In any case, thanks for being patient, what with there being no chapter last week! The FOB concert was AMAZING omg -can die happy now- Oh, and happy Fourth of July to all my fellow Americans! For you non-Americans...happy Saturday? lol  
> Make sure to drop a review if you enjoyed! They really do help me keep writing, like fuel for my muse, haha.
> 
> Oh! Also, if you guys enjoy the fanart I do for FT, there's been a couple new pieces added to my DeviantArt (Hakari-chan) as well as on the official One Wish tumblr blog (one-wish-fanfic). It's crossover fanart with Steven Universe XD I drew Lucy, Natsu, and Gray as crystal gems, because I'm fandom trash -coughs-

As their master left to make the necessary arrangements, and spectators began to gradually disperse, a thought occurred to Natsu. He glanced around and spotted what he was looking for on the ground nearby, as several people stepped carefully around it. The blade he had taken from Erza during their fight still lay where he had dropped it when Lucy had jumped on his back a few moments before.

Picking it up, the former dragon slayer wiped the dust it had gathered off on his pants, and gave it a brief once over to make sure that his carelessness hadn't damaged the blade in any way. Relieved to find it unmarred, Natsu turned to Erza and offered it back to her, hilt first.

"Here, take it before someone trips over it and loses a foot," he teased with a grin as the red head banished her other blade, and accepted the one he offered her now.

Beside him, Lucy and Happy grimaced at the thought, though Erza herself seemed unperturbed. The requip mage regarded the sword thoughtfully for a moment. It was a short sword of simple, but superior make, it's handle wrapped in blood red leather with a pommel and guard of unadorned silver. She held it up to the light as she examined it, then conjured a sheath and belt to her free hand, into which she slid the blade home.

"Keep it," she said with a smile as she held the lot out to Natsu "I have a feeling it might come in handy. I'll teach you the proper way to wield it on the voyage over."

Natsu blinked at the red head in surprise, staring at the unexpected gift for a few seconds before reaching out and accepting it "What, seriously?"

Erza nodded firmly as she crossed her arms over her dented chest plate and said "It never hurts to have a little back-up. Lucy's got her whip, and now you've got a sword."

The rose haired man glanced at his girlfriend, and she gave him an encouraging smile. Any doubt she might have had about Natsu learning the proper way to wield a blade lasted all of half a second when she remembered how helpless she had felt all those times when her magic had run out, or she had been disarmed. The idea of him being able to defend himself regardless of the status of his magic was one that brought relief to a worry she hadn't realized she had been harboring until now.

"Take it, Natsu!" Happy said brightly "You always do like learning new ways to fight."

"Yeah, alright then," the slayer said with a laugh before buckling the belt and sheath at his hips, just below Lucy's keys. It's unfamiliar weight settled, he did a few quick exercises to accustom himself to it's presence on his body.

"How's it feel?" Lucy asked, her amusement obvious as she watched him.

"Weird, but not bad," Natsu said with a slight pursing of his lips before turning to their red haired friend and saying "Thanks, Erza."

"I hope you never have to use it, but I'll see that you learn how to in the mean time," the requip mage said with a somber smile as she patted her younger friend on the shoulder "Now, I'm off to the armorer to get this dent fixed," she added as she glanced down at her chest, and Lucy flinched sympathetically. Erza turned to her and said "See to it that he doesn't go swinging that thing around before we start his lessons. It's a weapon, not a toy."

"Yes ma'am," the blonde said with a laugh and a casual salute as Natsu rolled his eyes and Happy giggled.

The trio watched Erza go for a moment, before an ecstatic shout drew all of their attention from the red head's retreating figure.

"Lucy!" Mirajane called as she pushed her way through the crowd, looking breathless and flustered.

"Hey Mira, we were wondering if you were here or not," the former celestial mage said with a grin that was mirrored by her two companions.

"What? Where else would I be?" the older woman asked with a blink, before waving off her own inquiry and saying "That's not important! Did you three really just fight Erza?"

"You missed it?!" Natsu asked incredulously.

"I'm sorry! I was sleeping and no one woke me up!" Mirajane whined unhappily as she scowled back over her shoulder at Wendy and Cana, who apparently _had_ caught the match, but neglected to wake their companion before doing so. The young bluenette had the good grace to look abashed, but Cana seemed un-bothered by the demon mage's wrath.

"I can't believe you actually managed to sleep through all the noise," Lucy remarked with a laugh, impressed, all things considered "You guys must have had one heck of a night!"

"Well, yes," the other woman admitted "But never mind _my_ night, how was yours?" she asked with a grin that made Lucy flush.

"Uh, great! It was great," the blonde answered quickly, flashing Natsu a look that all but screamed 'help me'.

Stepping up to the plate with admirable quickness, the man said "Yeah, we-"

"Shh-shh! I want to hear it from Lucy!" Mirajane interrupted, flapping one hand impatiently at Natsu as she looped her arm through the former celestial mage's and proceeded to drag her off towards the table she and her companions had been sharing earlier "And don't skip the details!"

"Mira! Really, I-"

"Oooh no, Lucy," Cana said with a menacing grin as she stepped up on the girl's other side to keep her from fleeing "We helped you get ready yesterday, that means we get to hear about the results today!"

"It's only fair," Levy said with a nod as she appeared from the crowd, her hearing apparently repaired enough that she had made out the commotion her friends were making.

"Don't worry, Juvia will do her best to protect Lucy from them," the water mage reassured Natsu with a smile that was not at all reassuring as he and Happy were promptly left in the dust.

"Uh, thanks," Natsu said doubtfully as he watched the woman hurry off after her friends.

"Think we should go save her?" Happy asked hesitantly, doubtful they'd be able to manage such a herculean feat, but clearly willing to at least give it a try for Lucy's sake.

"Eh, leave 'em. She'll be fine," Gray said with a careless wave of a hand as he stepped up beside the abandoned pair.

Natsu turned to say something to the ice mage, before memory of his earlier words during the mission meeting came back and rang loudly in his ears. Instead, the dragon slayer narrowed his eyes at Gray, torn between cursing him out, and simply cutting the the chase and punching him in the face like he so clearly deserved.

"What's with that look?" the dark haired man asked, arching one brow as he looked at his friend and rival, arms crossed over his chest. He had found his shirt again at some point, and actually donned it for a change.

When Natsu didn't immediately answer, Happy said "You know what for! I can't believe the awful things you said about Natsu and Lucy earlier!"

"What, that?" the ice mage asked with a snort "I got you your chance to prove yourself to the master, didn't I? You don't have to get pissy about how I arranged it."

Natsu stared at the ice mage for a long minute as the pieces of the puzzle slid into place. White-hot rage was doused as quickly as it had flared. Apparently face smashing would have to be put on hold for another, more justified occasion.

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to be such a jack-ass about it," he said with a sniff.

"Yeah! Lucy almost singed my fur," Happy opined, glancing back over his shoulder in an attempt to check his tail for bare patches.

"Honestly I wasn't expecting her to be the one to say something," Gray admitted, rubbing the back of his head absently as he looked for the blonde. She and the other girls had disappeared from the main room, though, so she was nowhere to be seen "Your magic definitely seems to make her less hesitant about speaking her mind," he observed as he glanced at the other man speculatively.

"Think so?" Natsu remarked, lips pursed in thought as he stroked his chin "I guess you're right. I like it," he admitted after a moment, grinning widely.

* * *

That evening, as the trio began the walk home, Lucy heaved a long, tired sigh.

"What's wrong?" Happy asked from down by her knees as he walked at her side.

"Oh nothing, just tired is all," the blonde mused with a smile down at her little friend. It was true, too. She wasn't just tired physically, thanks to their fight earlier, but mentally too, after the hours long grilling she'd had at the hands of her over-eager friends.

"Me too," the exceed admitted as he struggled to hide a yawn behind one paw.

Taking pity on their much smaller companion, who had to walk at twice the rate they did thanks to his shorter legs, Lucy bent down and scooped him up into her arms "There," she said "Now at least one of us doesn't have to walk."

"Thanks, Lucy," the exceed beamed happily as he settled himself comfortably in the crook of her arm while Natsu snorted in amusement.

"No comments are needed from the peanut gallery if you're not offering to carry us," Lucy said with a sniff at her boyfriend even as she reached out and slipped her free hand into his.

The former slayer laughed, and the blonde stuck her tongue out at him. He waved off her teasing, though, and said "Why don't we just crash at your place tonight?"

Lucy paused, indecision tugging at her as she considered this option. On the one hand, there was still a chance that the assassins might come looking for her there again. On the other hand, between her and Natsu, surely they would be safe? Not to mention no one had spotted them since Yukino had been attacked (with the exception of the corpse Gajeel and Levy had found); for all they knew, they might not even be in the country any more.

Coming to a decision, Lucy nodded and said "Alright, why not? Not like we can't handle a few assassins between us," with a wry smile as they turned to follow the canal back to her apartment.

"Aye!" Happy agreed sleepily from his place in her arms while Natsu flashed her a grin.

When they arrived a few minutes later, and Lucy pulled out her keys to let them in, the woman was glad Natsu had made the suggestion. Her feet were practically dragging, and the sight of her soft, comfortable bed was enough to bring a blissful smile to her features when she pushed the door open and beheld it.

To her surprise, Natsu shoved past her, took a flying leap, and landed on the bed with a bounce that made the frame creak in protest.

"Damn I missed this!" he admitted as he rolled over and buried his face in her pillows.

Lucy laughed and gently placed a yawning Happy on the bed out of reach of Natsu's overjoyed flailing "Why don't you buy one of your own then?" she mused aloud as she smiled down at him.

The dragon slayer lifted his head to look at her and said "Not a whole lot of room at my place for one. It wasn't really something I thought of when I was building it," he admitted with a grimace.

"Yeah, Natsu's always slept in hammocks," Happy pointed out as he sagged back happily against a pillow.

"Never realized how great beds were until I tried yours out," the rose haired mage remarked.

"Better be careful, or I'm going to think you're only dating me for my furniture," Lucy teased as she turned and placed her purse on the nightstand, and headed off towards the bathroom.

"Hey, where are you going?" Natsu asked with a pout as he pushed himself up on one elbow and watched her go.

"I'm going to take a bath while I've got the opportunity," Lucy called back over her shoulder.

Sitting up eagerly and grinning, Natsu asked "Can I-"

"Nope!" his girlfriend cut him off, laughing as she snapped the door shut behind her and locked it.

The dragon slayer huffed in disappointment as he rolled over so he was seated on the edge of the mattress, feet on the carpeted floor and arms crossed over his chest.

"I don't think the both of you would fit in the tub anyways," Happy pointed out as he cracked one eye open to look at his friend.

"Could so!" Natsu objected "Have you seen how big that thing is? Not to mention we're both pretty flexible, so-"

Grabbing another pillow, the exceed covered his head with it as he shouted in a muffled voice "Whatever it is, I _really_ don't need to know, Natsu!"

Natsu grinned and tugged his friend's tail, only to have it twitched irritably out of his grasp. Bored now that Lucy was in the tub and Happy was ignoring him, the dragon slayer got to his feet and paced around the apartment, pausing to inspect the repairs that had been made here and there as he went.

Reaching one wall in particular, Natsu noticed that Lucy's writing desk was crooked, no doubt shifted so the repairmen could reach behind it. Seeing no reason not to, the man lifted one end of the heavy, wooden piece of furniture, and dragged it back into place against the wall. When he dropped it back onto the carpet, though, the books that had been piled precariously on the desktop toppled and spilled to the ground.

Swearing under his breath, Natsu crouched and started gathering the leather bound books quickly, knowing his girlfriend would no doubt have his head if she discovered him with her precious belongings all over the floor. He had mistakenly dog-eared one of her books _once,_ and proceeded to never do so again in the wake of her angry lecture and week-long banishment from her apartment.

"Oooh, Lucy's gonna get you, Natsu!" Happy snickered, having apparently pulled his head out from under his pillow at the noise his friend had made.

"Don't you dare tell her," the slayer hissed as he picked up another volume that had landed on it's spine and opened to a random page. The man paused mid-grab when one of the words on the page caught his eye.

Noticing the thoughtful frown on Natsu's face, the exceed crawled closer along the edge of the bed and asked "What is it?"

"This one...this one's got my name in it," the mage said, blinking up at the cat before looking back down to read the page in hopes of establishing context.

Hopping down and walking over to examine one of the other books Natsu had stacked on the floor for transfer back up to the desk, Happy asked "Is it her journal?"

"It's not really written like one," Natsu remarked thoughtfully as he continued to read:

_Feeling returned, then. First came the sensation of wind as it pulled at me, and roared in my ears. I opened my eyes as I plummeted through the air, starry sky and earth alternating dizzyingly until I could no longer tell up from down._

_A flash of pink caught my eye, and I was able to right myself midair to watch Natsu sprinting after me. For all I should have been terrified of the ground that was rapidly rushing up to meet me, all I could do was smile at the si-_

"W-what are you doing?!"

Natsu and Happy both jumped guiltily as Lucy's voice rang out across the room.

Turning, the dragon slayer said "I was, uh...just picking them up! They fell when I moved your desk."

"I really don't think that picking them up requires getting comfortable and reading them!" the blonde objected as she stalked across the room and quickly picked up the stack of books and put them back on the desk, then turned and plucked the open one from Natsu's hands.

"Did you write all those, Lucy?" Happy asked curiously as his friend quickly got to his feet and stepped out of arm's reach.

Flushed and obviously upset, the woman ignored the question as she slid the journal Natsu had been reading back into it's designated spot, only to realize that they were all out of order. Though the books were not labeled in any way on the outside, most of them had different styles of spine, or colored leather that allowed the writer to differentiate between them at a glance.

Huffing irritably, Lucy started to reorganize the volumes before a tan, calloused hand caught her wrist and gently tugged her around to look at it's owner.

"I'm sorry, Luce, I didn't mean to pry," Natsu admitted with an apologetic grimace as his girlfriend scowled ferociously at him "One just fell open and I saw my name..."

Lucy stared up at him with narrowed eyes for a moment longer while the man squirmed in the face of her displeasure. Eventually, though, she relented with a sigh and said "It's fine. I guess I can't blame you..." before turning back to her work.

Watching her quietly for the moment and feeling he had narrowly dodged a bullet, Natsu asked "That book...you wrote it about the Infinity Clock?"

The blonde froze, then relaxed enough to nod.

"Yeah," she admitted.

"Have you written books about all of our adventures?" Happy asked with wide-eyed curiosity as he landed on the desk and noted just how many volumes had been placed in order before the one Natsu had been reading.

"P-pretty much," Lucy admitted shyly as she glanced between her two friends. Sliding the final book into place, she continued "I've been doing it since I first joined the guild."

"Seriously?" Natsu asked in surprise, gray eyes wide as he turned them to her collection on the desk. He knew she was always writing, and that she had a story she was working on, but he'd had no idea that their adventures together had been the subject. A feeling of wonder welled up within him as he regarded Lucy's collected works. So many volumes filled up with the story of their lives...

Without thinking, he asked "Can I read it?"

Lucy froze again, jaw clenching reflexively as she looked around at him in alarm, and Natsu realized that it was a question she had been dreading.

"No, Lucy should read it to us! Like a bedtime story!" Happy interjected as he leaped up onto the bed and proceeded to bounce about excitedly at the prospect.

"Yeah!" Natsu agreed enthusiastically, turning to grin at the exceed before jumping onto the bed as well to join in the bouncing, sending the pillows toppling to the floor and nearly tripping on the blankets.

"What? Come on, guys! You're going to break the bed!" Lucy objected, pulled from her shock by the boys' childish antics "And seriously, a bed time story? What are you, five?" she grumbled as she stooped and picked the pillows up off the carpet.

The dragon slayer and exceed stopped their bouncing and shared a brief look before Happy asked, eyes wide and lip trembling ominously " _Pleeeaaase,_ Lucy? With sprinkles and a cherry on top?"

Beside him, Natsu dropped to his knees on the bed and clasped his hands before him as he did his best to mimic the exceed's best kicked puppy impersonation "Yeah, please?" he asked, voice dangerously close to a whine "I've never had a bed time story read to me before," he admitted as an afterthought, eyes turned up towards the ceiling as he tried to remember such a time, but got nothing.

Lucy stared at the pair incredulously. She had been all set to put her foot down, but surprisingly, it was Natsu's confession that made her hesitate.

Finally, she heaved a sigh and said "Oh alright, _fine_ , you bunch of whiners!" Both boys let out a whoop of triumph and shared a smile before she cut in and said "Go get read for bed first, though."

Slayer and exceed both scrambled off the bed and made a run for the bathroom. While Lucy re-made the bed, she could hear them fighting over the sink and toothpaste, bringing a fond, if exasperated, smile to her face.

By the time her boys were done, the blonde was already settled under the blankets, her back resting against the head of the bed as she flipped idly through the volume she had selected.

"Ready?" she asked, clearly embarrassed by the task that lay before her, but apparently dedicated to seeing it through.

"Aye!" Happy said brightly as he landed on the blankets and proceeded to climb into her lap so he could rest his head against her stomach with the book directly in front of him. In the mean time, Natsu stripped down to his briefs and slid under the blankets, scooting over until his hip was pressed firmly up against Lucy's.

"Ready," he told his girlfriend with a cheeky smile as she gave them both a bewildered look at their clingy seating arrangements. To seal the deal, Natsu slid his arms around Lucy's shoulders and rested his cheek against her head while she wiggled a bit to get comfortable.

"You two are absolutely _ridiculous_ ," she grumped half-heartedly.

"This is how story time is _supposed_ to be done, Lucy," Happy insisted as he settled back against her with a contented sigh.

Memories of bed time stories read with her own mother kept the blonde's mouth shut when she normally might have made a crack about the exceed being a story-time expert. She'd be lying if she tried to say that _she_ had never clambered into Layla's lap the way Happy had into her's, or squished herself up against her side, Natsu style, when space wouldn't allow more.

"So, when are we reading from?" Natsu asked curiously as she opened to the first page, which was full of her neat, curling hand.

"I...thought we'd start at the beginning," Lucy said with a hesitant smile "I was telling the girls the story about how we met the yesterday, and I guess it made me a little nostalgic," she admitted.

"Ooh, yay!" Happy said in a little voice, tail twitching happily as Natsu turned slightly to brush a kiss against Lucy's temple.

"Well this should be interesting," he mused with a laugh as Lucy snorted.

Ignoring the comment, the blonde cleared her throat, and then began to read.

_The day proved to be bright and sunny in Hargeon as I stepped outside of the inn and made my way down towards the only magic shop the little seaside town boasted..._

* * *

The next morning found Lucy, Natsu, and Happy back at the guild, and once again crammed into the Master's office. The only good thing about this arrangement was that Levy, Wendy, Carla, and Juvia were not there, which left everyone else a little more room to spread out in.

"If we keep this up, I swear I'm going to turn claustrophobic," Gajeel grumbled under his breath to Lily.

"I don't know, it's not too bad," the exceed said as he looked around the room thoughtfully.

The iron dragon slayer snorted "That's because you're-" only to cut himself off when the smallest of smiles tugged at his companion's mouth "Oh shut up," he finished as he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest.

Seated nearby with Lucy and Natsu, Happy giggled and gave the other cat a thumbs up, which Lily returned on the sly.

"Alright, brats, simmer down," Makarov said from his seat at the head of the table, waiting until he had everyone's attention before continuing "I know we're not all here, but I'll fill Wendy and Juvia in later," the old mage glanced around the table briefly then said said "In the mean time, we're here to talk about this."

The wizard saint pulled a familiar dagger from his pocket and placed it on the table before him.

"That blade, it's the one I found in Lucy's apartment, isn't it?" Lily asked, standing on the table so he could get a better view.

The familiar, eerie black dagger lay on the table, glinting dully in the light of the room. The blade was hidden by a rough leather sheath, but it was still unmistakable.

In his seat beside Lucy, Natsu's eyes went wide, and then narrowed dangerously as a frown settled across his features and he asked "Did your 'specialist' figure out who it belongs to?"

Makarov arched one bushy eyebrow at the former dragon slayer "No. Beyond that it is most definitely of Telmaran make, there's nothing else to distinguish who was using it," he explained "He did, however, establish that this blade wasn't just poisoned, it carries a spell on it as well."

Lucy blinked in surprise at this news. As though the fact that someone was trying to kill her wasn't bad enough, but now there was some sort of secondary function for the blade?

"What kind of spell?" she asked.

"As far as we can tell, it appears to absorb the magic of whoever it kills," the Master said after a moment of silence.

Lucy winced and beside her, Natsu went rigid. As Happy slunk down into the blonde's lap, Gray spoke up.

"So, someone went after Lucy with the intent to steal her magic, and her keys...doesn't this confirm Hisui's theory about the gate?"

"It's true," Lucy agreed grimly as she stroked Happy's head reassuringly "The Eclipse gate didn't just need the keys to be opened, it needed a Celestial Spirit mage to use them."

"Plus a crap-ton of magical power to run it," Gajeel added.

In the thoughtful silence that followed, Erza shifted, and then finally spoke "Are we sure it's a good idea to bring Natsu with us? We could be walking right into a trap."

Lucy shared an uneasy look with the red head before the man beside her cut in "You're not leaving me behind, so don't fucking bother to suggest it," he said with a growl. Before anyone could object, he continued, saying "Besides, they would need all twelve keys, wouldn't they? So even if they managed to off me, _and_ take Lucy's keys, they'd still be two shy."

"Yukino's keys," Lily murmured thoughtfully as he rubbed his chin "They'd be safely here regardless, an ocean away..." he glanced up at their master and suggested "While we're away, and maybe until all of this resolved, perhaps we should offer some of our own members to help protect Yukino."

"Sting won't thank you for that," Lucy said.

"No, but he's not a complete idiot either," Natsu said "He'd come around to the idea. He knows Sabertooth isn't the only one with a stake in her and the keys' safety."

Makarov sighed and waved a tired hand "Fine, you're still on the mission, Natsu."

The rose haired mage grinned broadly, a hint of steel in his smile as Erza spoke "Still, assuming that this gate in Telmare works the same as the Eclipse Gate...where is the King planning to get so much power? Surely the Princess would have heard if he were hosting some sort of game, or similar event, to collect magic the way she did. It's not an easy thing to hide."

"No, it's not," Makarov agreed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he lapsed into thought for a minute, the mages around him doing the same. Finally, he lifted his head once more and said "I believe it is safe to say that King Edmund is attempting to use Telmare's gate to come to Fiore, as the Princess suggested. Our mission remains much the same, though. I want you to go over there and collect information, try to establish what sort of power source he plans to use to open the gate, or if such a thing is even necessary."

The group nodded their agreement, expressions ranging from thoughtful, to eager, to worried, depending on the mage.

"However," the Master continued, smacking his hand loudly on the table, making them jump "You are _not_ to interfere, do you understand me?" he asked, glaring around the table at his errant children "Unless he is somehow on the verge of opening that gate, you _do not interfere_."

"But," Natsu began, brow furrowed as he leaned forward to argue.

"No 'buts', brat!" the Master bellowed, effectively silencing the former slayer, though Natsu did not look pleased.

"This is politics now, got it? Things could go badly for Fiore if it was discovered that Hisui sent a force of mages to interfere in another country without a very good reason. Spying is one thing, every country spies on it's neighbors," the man said with a flippant waive of his hand that effectively communicated his disdain for this practice "But sending in a strike force to interfere is something else entirely. That's something that the international community won't turn a blind eye to."

The wizard saint glared around the table to drive his point home, staring each member of the team down until they bowed to his will. Natsu held out the longest, but eventually, even he was forced to agree.

"Fine," he growled unhappily and slouched back in his seat as Lucy smiled at him sympathetically.

"Good," Makarov said as he relaxed slightly "Now, your ship leaves at seven in the morning two days from now. Make sure you pack everything you need, but try to travel light," he said.

All eyes were inexorably drawn to Erza, who blinked and said "What?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! We are now back to our usual once a week update schedule! Please make sure to leave a review if you enjoyed! Even if I don't reply, I read every single one, and they all mean so much to me, and really help me keep writing! So, really, reviewing is in your own best interest, haha!


	30. Odds Are

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time for some high seas adventures! Are you ready kids?! *slapped*
> 
> Anyways, we've hit the big 30 chapter mark, how exciting! This story is now over 211k words long, though, holy cow. Just for a frame of reference, to get a work published as a full length novel, it only has to be 50k words...
> 
> Back to a more normal chapter length this week, and I hope you enjoy! Please remember to drop me a review if you do. Knowing that you guys are enjoying my work really helps me keep writing! And hey, if YOU don't leave a review, who will?

At six-thirty in the morning on the day of their departure, Natsu, Lucy, and Happy were seated on a bench overlooking the water. From there, they could see their ship in it's berth as sailors trotted up and down the main gangplank, loading last minute freight.

Lucy watched the swarthy looking men and women work with idle curiosity while Happy, perched on her knee, nibbled distractedly at a small fish, yawning occasionally. Natsu, on the other hand, made no attempt at appearing awake. In fact, the blonde was convinced that her boyfriend, his head resting heavily on her shoulder from where he sat beside her, was genuinely asleep.

She was pretty sure that he had genuinely slept-walked his way down here with her, too. The blonde had been forced to hold his hand lest the man wander off while she wasn't paying attention, much to her amusement. Still, at least they had packed everything they needed the night before, so all they had to do was get dressed, grab their things, and go come morning.

Lucy had opted to skip breakfast, filled as she was with a dread certainty that she'd only see it again as soon as they boarded the ship to Telmare. Happy had brought his to go, and Natsu hadn't even answered when she'd asked him if he wanted some food before they left.

Considering all the wrangling she'd had to do, the blonde was surprised that they were the first members of their team to arrive. Pulling her gaze from the loading of the ship, Lucy turned it to the man who was dangerously close to drooling on her new coat. Natsu seemed to be out cold in the early morning light, so she shook her shoulder slightly in an attempt to wake him. This only resulted in him slipping sideways so his head now rested on her chest, earning her a face full of his rosy hair.

Hearing Lucy's long, put upon sigh, Happy looked up at her and chuckled "At this rate, you'll have to carry him on board."

The woman grimaced "Don't worry, I've got a secret weapon for waking him in my bag," she replied, amused at the imagery.

"Oh yeah?" the blue exceed asked as he finished his fish and leaned back against her stomach.

Before Lucy could reply, though, she yelped in surprise as whatever was in his bag poked her uncomfortably through it's fabric and her clothes.

"Happy! What is in your bag?!" she asked and pushed him hastily upright again with the hand not currently pinned beneath Natsu.

Happy let out a little grunt as he was pushed, then apologized when he realized what had happened "Sorry, Lucy!" the cat exclaimed. He hesitated a moment, then pulled his satchel off of his back and carefully unfolded it to reveal what was hidden within.

Inside the little green pouch were several fish, a book of matches, and the wishing star, wrapped tightly in a second handkerchief to prevent it's sharp edges cutting through the bag.

Eyes widening in surprise at the sight of it, Lucy asked "What...Happy, why are you bringing _that?_ "

"Well," the exceed began thoughtfully "You never know when you might need a small wish, right? Like, what if we get stuck somewhere and need some food? I could wish for-"

Lucy immediately pressed one finger to Happy's lips, silencing him as she said "Happy, if you're going to carry this around, you have to _promise_ me you won't say the words 'I Wish', alright? No matter how silly what you say after may be. Only use it for a dire need, understand?"

Happy looked up into her stern visage, eyes wide as he nodded.

Expression softening, the woman relaxed again and removed her finger, saying "Alright. I'm going to trust you with this, so make sure to keep the star safe, okay?"

"Aye," Happy said seriously, brow furrowing as he carefully wrapped the wishing star back up in his bag.

Silently wondering if she had made the right decision, Lucy turned her attention back to Natsu, who had slept obliviously through the exchange. An affectionate smile tugged at her lips as she watched him for a moment. He looked so peaceful...still, no doubt the others would be here soon, so it would be better if he was awake and ready to go for boarding.

"Natsu? Natsu, wake up," she said, shaking his shoulder gently with her free hand.

The former slayer only grumbled incoherently, a small frown forming on his face as he turned to bury it in her ample chest.

Flushing and hoping none of their friends would choose that moment to show up, Lucy Shook him again "Oh come on, Natsu! We have to leave soon!"

Though his words were muffled by her chest, the blonde could just make out his words "Just carry me then."

"I'd drop you as soon as we reached the gangplank!" Lucy objected with an incredulous laugh as she shook him once more, harder this time.

"Stooop," he moaned, face scrunching up in annoyance as he slid his strong arms around her back and waist, then dragged himself in closer to her. The resulting position was an awkward one for the girl, as she was forced to half-recline against the arm of the bench, her free hand clutching it to keep her boyfriend from pushing her all the way down.

The dragon slayer sprawled across her as Happily hastily jumped into the air before his friend's antics forcibly dislodged him from his place on Lucy's knee. Natsu released a pleased sigh as he settled in more comfortably against his girlfriend's wonderfully soft figure and dropped off to sleep again almost immediately.

"I swear I'm going to kill him," Lucy muttered as she struggled to sit up, only to find that Natsu had quite efficiently pinned her with a cunning leg lock and the dead weight of his body. Surely her boyfriend was the only man who could manage such a thing in his sleep.

"Save it for later, Wendy and Carla are coming," Happy said with a laugh as he spotted the pair approaching at a leisurely place "Morning Carla, Wendy!"

"Good morning, Happy," the white exceed said pleasantly as she landed on the back of the bench and regarded the pair of humans there with a delicately arched eyebrow.

"G-good morning," Wendy said, taken aback by the scene on the bench.

"Oh thank the gods," Lucy said, glancing up at the little bluenette with a rueful smile "Will you do me a favor and grab the thermos I packed in my bag? I can't reach and Natsu won't move," she asked, nudging her bag with the toe of her boot.

Normally Lucy would have felt a little more embarrassed about being caught in such a position, but at this point, she was just glad that it was Wendy, not Erza, that had done the catching.

"Thermos?" the sky dragon slayer asked, blinking in surprise at the blonde before turning to do ask asked. After a moment of rifling, the girl came back with the object requested, and offered it to her friend.

"Is it your secret weapon?" Happy asked curiously as he perched on the back of the bench next to Carla, who glanced at him questioningly, prompting him to explain "Lucy said earlier that she had a secret weapon for waking Natsu up. She tried to do it the normal way but he won't listen."

"Yep!" Lucy answered "Mind opening it for me, Wendy, and pouring some?"

"Oh, sure!" the girl said, a little flustered that the blonde had even needed to ask. Of course she would need her to open it, what with one of her arms being stuck under Natsu's recumbent form.

Doing as asked, Wendy opened the thermos and poured what proved to be coffee into the cap that doubled as a cup. It already had milk and sugar added, from the looks of it as she pressed the beverage into Lucy's outstretched hand.

Thrusting the hot, steaming drink under her boyfriend's nose, Lucy said "Natsu, wake up. There's coffee, but I swear I'll drink every last bit if you're not off me and sitting upright in the next five seconds."

One charcoal eye cracked open as the stimulating scent reached the man's nose, making him sniff appreciatively. He seemed to consider for a moment, before, grudgingly, doing as asked.

Relieved of her burden, Lucy pushed herself upright with a grateful sigh and immediately passed Natsu his bribe. She scooted closer to him, then smiled at Wendy and gestured for her to take a seat while her boyfriend sipped slowly at his coffee.

"Thanks," the girl said as she took the offered seat, watching her fellow slayer with a sort of wide-eyed curiosity. As he hunched over the small cup he cradled in both hands, still looking half asleep, Wendy thought that Natsu had never looked more...human.

"I'm surprised you didn't come down with Erza, Wendy," Lucy observed thoughtfully "Was she held up or something?"

Turning her attention to the blonde, a small smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she admitted "Actually, we started out together, but then bumped into Gajeel and Gray on their way down as well."

"What happened?" Natsu grunted, seemingly awake enough now to take an interest in the conversation as he poured himself more coffee from Lucy's thermos.

"Well," Wendy began, looking a little awkward, though still amused as she explained "Gray and Gajeel thought that Erza had packed too much, so they dragged her back to the dorms to make her do it again."

Natsu snorted into his coffee, nearly spilling it down the new blue jacket and white pants Virgo had gifted him. Lucy smacked her forehead with the palm of her hand in exasperation at this turn of events.

"I can't believe her!" she groaned in annoyance.

"Well, to be fair, Erza initially left with only half her usual amount of bags..." Wendy said in her older friend's defense, though let it drop at Lucy's expressive eye roll.

"What about Juvia?" Happy asked.

"We knocked on her door on the way down, but she said she would catch up," Carla explained as she settled in to wait "I guess she wasn't done getting ready yet," she added with a sniff.

The group made small talk while they waited, the hands of the clock tower in the distance inexorably counting down to seven o'clock. The closer the time came, the more often all of them glanced worriedly back over their shoulders at it. At about ten minutes til, Juvia made her appearance and joined them on the bench. While the early hour did seem to weigh on her, she appeared to be in a pleasant enough mood, though she didn't speak much.

Finally, at just two minutes til, Erza, Gajeel, Lily and Gray arrived at a jog, all three of them looking annoyed and out of breath.

"Finally!" Natsu exclaimed as he leaped to his feet, Lucy and the others following suit at a more reasonable speed.

"We thought we were going to have to leave without you!" Happy said as he fluttered around Erza, then landed on the hefty pack she carried on her back "Wow, is this really all you brought?"

"Only after some...extreme negotiation," Gajeel grumbled as he shared a pained look with Gray who looked, frankly, exhausted after a morning spent with Erza. Even the normally somber Lily looked ready to strangle someone. Bullying the woman into bringing only a single pack full of gear was perhaps one of the most extreme fight's he had ever experienced.

"Let's just get to the boat," the ice mage said tiredly as Lucy patted his arm sympathetically.

"Thanks for helping Erza," she said in a quiet aside as she grabbed up her own bag and followed the rest of their group down to the pier where their ship was anchored. By now, most of the sailors seemed to be on board, freight loaded and securely tied down.

"I'd say don't mention it, but I'm pretty sure I deserve an award," Gray commented before he detached a bundle of cloth he'd strapped to the outside of his bag.

Lucy chuckled, then lit up at the sight of the object in his hands, and asked "Oh, is that the coat I asked to borrow?" as she glanced at it. It appeared to be long, black, and lined with similarly dark fur on the inside.

"Yep. Idiot really doesn't have any coats of his own?" the ice mage asked as he glanced at his blonde teammate.

"He really doesn't," she admitted with a grimace "Still, I guess I can't really blame him. It's not as though he needed one until now," Lucy pointed out.

"Well neither do I, technically" Gray huffed "Should I give it to him now?"

"Might as well," she answered with a smile. Her expression turned into a wince, though, when Gray lifted his arm, and proceeded to fling the balled up jacket at the back of Natsu's head.

The slayer, walking beside Erza and listening to the redhead gripe about her troublesome morning, swore at the surprise attack, but managed to catch the offending article of clothing as he whipped around and demanded "What the fuck, Gray?!"

"Just shut up and wear it, dumbass. We don't need you holding down the team when you catch a cold," Gray shouted back.

Natsu looked ready to pop a blood vessel when Lucy waived her hand to get his attention "Please, Natsu? I asked him to bring it for you since you don't have a winter coat. It'll be a lot colder out at sea."

The dragon slayer fumed for a moment, before grudgingly shoving the black coat into his bag and saying "Yeah, alright then," before turning back to Erza as they walked.

"Well, he won't say it, but I will. Thanks, Gray," Lucy told her friend with a grateful smile as he looked down at her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"It's no big deal," he said with a casual shrug, reminded suddenly of what he had said to Natsu a few nights prior, just before his first date with Lucy.

_'-time was you'd burn half the guild down before someone could make you do something you didn't want to. Now you'll do it yourself, if you think it'll make Lucy happy.'_

"Lucy, did you ask Wendy to cast troia on you?" Juvia asked as she slowed a bit to fall into step with her and Gray, a concerned look in her sapphire eyes.

"I did, actually," Lucy said with a grimace "I talked to her about it yesterday, but she didn't recommend it," one pale hand went to an already uneasy stomach as they came up to the ship and Erza spoke with the captain, offering him the necessary papers to secure their passage. She continued "The trip is going to be five days of sailing, and if she casts a full troia on me every day, I'll become immune to it before we even get there."

"Oh dear," Juvia said sympathetically "Juvia is very sorry, Lucy."

"Me too," the blonde said with a sigh "But she said it should be okay to cast a small one on me every night to let me sleep at least, and keep down some dinner."

"Well, it's something anyways," Gray pointed out as Juvia smiled at him from the other side of Lucy.

Ahead of them, Erza finished her conversation with the ship's captain and motioned them all to follow her up the gangplank onto the ship proper "Alright, everyone, let's go. Captain Marcus says they're ready to push off as soon as we're all aboard."

The redhead lead the way up the slab of lumber that bobbed gently in time with the rise and fall of the ship to which it was tethered. Lucy's stomach seized just watching it, but she took a breath and forced herself to follow Juvia up it's length when her turn came, closely followed by Gray.

A few steps in, though, the dreaded nausea swamped her as her body swayed sickeningly in time with the wood beneath her feet. Feeling her knees go weak, there was nothing the blonde could do to stop her knees buckling.

Behind her, Gray swore when he saw the woman sag dangerously and then fall. Without thinking, he reached out and hooked his arms under her's, bearing the blonde's dead weight against his chest.

"Oi! Lucy," he grumbled, shaking her slightly in an effort to rouse her from her stupor. All this did, though, was make his friend retch, dangerously close to vomiting. Not wanting to have to deal with that sort of mess so early in the morning, the ice mage immediately stopped trying to rouse Lucy, and attempted to lift her instead, so he could get her on board as quickly as possible and pass her off to Natsu. He was her boyfriend, this sort of thing was supposed to be his _job_ now.

"Gray?!"

The ice mage glanced up, surprised at Juvia's vehement tone. The bluenette was glaring daggers at Lucy, who he was still holding from behind, the blonde's head lolling weakly against his shoulder.

"She's sick," he told her, oddly pleased by the sudden return of the water mage's jealous temper.

While previously the the woman would have continued into a rant, today, she appeared to quickly bury her possessive tendencies and gave her blonde friend a sympathetic look "Do you need help carrying her? Juvia could take her feet."

Gray considered his options for a moment. He half-lifted the girl in his arms in an attempt to get one arm under her legs so he wouldn't have to drag her and wind up tripping over her legs, but the gangplank beneath them tilted dangerously as he did so.

"Uh, yeah. Grab her by the ankles and lets get her up together. Natsu can take it from there," he told the woman, who couldn't quite suppress a smile at his use of the word 'together'.

Lifting in unison, the two mages managed to haul Lucy's limp form up the gangplank and onto the main deck of the ship.

"Natsu, will you come get your woman already?" Gray complained as Juvia gently placed the girl's feet on deck and he attempted to get her to stand upright.

The dragon slayer in question looked around, startled by the state his girlfriend was in.

"Damn, already?" he said as he hurried over and took her from Gray, gently lifting her into his arms. Lucy groaned in protest of the sudden change in position, though kept her eyes clamped tightly shut. It didn't seem to help much, though as a convulsion rocked her, and Natsu was forced to make a run for the railing so the blonde could empty what little was in her stomach into the bay.

"This is gonna be a long trip," Gray said with a grimace as the wind carried the sounds of Lucy's miserable retching back to him and Juvia.

"For some more so than others, I think," the water mage said, then glanced at Gajeel as he strolled past with Lily in tow. Apparently the iron dragon slayer had opted to have at least a partial troia placed on him that morning, having no desire to be carried up the gangplank like his female counterpart.

* * *

The first two days of their voyage to Telmare passed in one long, slow blur of nausea and misery for Lucy and Gajeel, broken only at night when Wendy would enter the small, below deck cabin they all shared to cast a much longed for troia on them, and bring them a little dinner. For those two evenings, neither of them ventured above decks, being too exhausted by the day's suffering to do more than fall almost immediately into a deep, grateful slumber.

In the mean time, the rest of their party mostly spent their days assisting the sailors in running the ship in various capacities. Juvia initially offered to help the ship's cook in the galley, only to be immediately banned from the premises a short while later and replaced with, of all people, Gray. The man proved to be remarkably adept in the kitchen, surprising all his friends, and delighting Juvia (though she lamented repeatedly the fact that she was unable to return the favor of his cooking). Wendy and Carla also offered their assistance in the galley, which was gladly accepted by the cook, who was having trouble keeping up with so many extra (abnormally hungry) mouths.

Natsu, Erza, Happy, and Lily spent a large part of their days learning how to man the sails from the sailors who, seeing their genuine interest, were happy to teach them. What time they didn't spend hauling on ropes and scampering up and down the masts was spent teaching Natsu swordplay, which always drew an audience.

Happy did not take much part in this activity, though he did watch, and inevitably wound up acting as a sort of safety net for his rose haired partner when Erza or Lily inevitably hit him too hard and he was sent flying out over the water. Saving his friend from a dunking became a sort of game for the cat, and the crew began taking bets on whether or not he would be able to make the next catch.

Between the drilling from Erza and Lily, Natsu was learning to wield the short sword the requip mage had gifted him with surprising speed. Happy was forced to intervene more and more infrequently as the lessons continued. He wouldn't be a master by the time they landed by any means, but Erza was confident that he would be more than capable of defending himself from most challengers at the rate they were progressing.

During quiet moments, Natsu and Happy, often accompanied by Wendy and Carla, would go down to visit Lucy and Gajeel in hopes of distracting them from their discomfort. The former slayer would often rub the blonde's stomach for her as he told her about all the things he was learning. While it wasn't as effective on the open sea as it had been on a train or river boat, the soothing motions did at least help take the edge off for a little while.

Gajeel stoutly refused any offer from Wendy to do the same for him, and often spent most of Natsu's visits ignoring him. In fact, he seemed to ignore everyone but Lucy and Lily, when the exceed would come and visit.

Though Lucy and Gajeel had never been particularly close prior to the voyage (though still friendly), the pair fostered a new closeness in those cramped quarters as they spent the days in joint suffering. While they didn't speak much, something about sharing such an awful, agonizing experience brought them closer than any amount of deep, heart felt conversation could. There was a little of that, though, when the rocking of the boat around them was gentle enough to allow them to speak without immediate fear of losing last night's dinner.

Lucy shared stories about her childhood, and to her surprise, Gajeel reciprocated with a few anecdotes about growing up under Metallicana's care as a boy. She had heard plenty about Natsu's time with Igneel since they had first met, but it was a rare thing to hear any of the other slayers speak of the draconic parents. It certainly gave her a new insight into the man.

On the third night out from Magnolia, Lucy and Gajeel finally ventured above decks to have dinner with their friends and the rest of the crew.

It was a pleasant evening, and the heavy, glass sided lanterns that cast light over the deck revealed a convivial scene of mages and sailors sharing their evening meal under the open sky. Below decks was cramped enough with cargo, that unless the weather was particularly nasty, most of the crew preferred to eat outside.

When he spotted Lucy following Wendy up the narrow stairs on feet that were only slightly unsteady, Natsu beamed and jumped to his feet.

"Lucy! Feeling better?" he asked hopefully as he slipped his hand into hers and drew her along back to where he and Happy had been sitting next to Erza with their backs to one of the masts.

"Better enough to eat, anyways," the blonde said with a tired, but happy smile up at the man before taking a seat by Erza.

The redhead smiled warmly at her as Natsu hurried off to get her a bowl of stew, and said "Nice to see you back among the living."

"Nice to be here, if only temporarily," Lucy joked weakly as Happy clambered into her lap, having already finished his dinner "Has Natsu been keeping out of trouble?" she asked him with a smile as she tickled his furry tummy.

The exceed giggled and swatted at her fingers with paws whose claws remained carefully sheathed "Mostly. He almost fell off of the boat a few times, but I caught him," he said proudly as the man in question returned with two bowls of stew.

"What are we talking about?" he asked cheerfully as he passed Lucy her share and then settled in next to her, sitting cross-legged at her side, his shoulder and leg pressed firmly up against hers in what appeared to be an attempt to maintain as much body contact as possible.

"You almost taking a swim," the blonde mused as she waited patiently for the man to settle himself before beginning to eat. Having Natsu close at hand eased a tension in Lucy's chest and brought a smile to her lips as she ate, Happy still sprawled across her legs.

"Oh yeah. Happy caught me every time, though," Natsu said with a careless wave of his spoon, then grinned at the exceed "The sailors kept taking bets that he'd miss eventually, but he never did."

"I was half tempted to place a bet myself," Erza mused, a smile tugging at her lips as she set aside her empty bowl, and asked "The stew was good; was Gray helping the cook again?"

"Yeah," Happy answered with a chuckle at Lucy's snort of surprise.

"Gray's been cooking?" she asked incredulously as she carefully wiped the gravy off her face.

"Yeah, who knew?" Natsu remarked with a laugh "At first it was Juvia, but the cook kicked her out, so Gray took over as his assistant."

Lucy nearly snorted stew again, but barely managed to refrain this time "You people let _Juvia_ in the kitchen?" she glanced around and spotted the water mage seated on the stairs up to the poop deck with Gray, chatting about something that Wendy, seated just below them with Carla, weighed in on.

"They didn't realize," Erza said, sharing a look of commiseration with Lucy, knowing full well the bluenette's shortcomings when it came to the arts of the kitchen.

"They couldn't have. There's no way they would have let her in if they did," she said with a chuckle as she polished off the rest of her bowl. Still feeling hungry, she asked Happy "Let me up? I want some more stew."

Before the cat could move, though, Natsu rolled to his feet and deftly lifted Lucy's bowl from her fingers "I'll get it," and immediately walked off to do so before the blonde could protest.

"I could have gotten it," she said to no one in particular, making Erza chuckle.

"Let him. He doesn't talk about it, but he's been fretting about you since we left port."

"Really?" Lucy asked, cheeks coloring at the other woman's words, her eyes straying to Natsu's retreating back as he bounced down the steps towards the galley and disappeared from sight.

"Yeah, he'd be down there bothering you and Gajeel all day if Erza didn't threaten him," Happy said with a broad grin.

"That's why you've been pushing him so hard with lessons," Lucy guessed, her gaze meeting her redheaded friend's "To keep him distracted."

"Well, that's part of it," the woman admitted with a nod "I really did want to teach him to handle a sword, though. He's picking it up quick, like he always does," she remarked with a twist of her pale lips "Lily's been helping me, and the sailors help keep him running too."

"We've been learning how to sail!" Happy piped up, tail tip twitching excitedly.

Brushing her fingertips along the little exceed's soft ears, Lucy smiled at him and said "That's wonderful! Useful too," before turning her attention back to Erza and adding "Thanks for looking out for him."

Natsu returned before the other woman could respond, so she just smiled, heart warmed by the picture her three friends made. The dragon slayer pressed a fresh bowl of stew into Lucy's hands, which she accepted it with a grateful smile. When her boyfriend seated himself beside her again, she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek and murmured something in his ear, placing a gentle hand on Happy as she did so, to keep him from being disturbed by her movement. Whatever she'd said brought another easy smile to Natsu's face as he turned and gently bumped his forehead against hers in a show of affection.

The smile was one that Erza had rarely seen before the last couple of weeks, but it was becoming more and more common, to her fascination. Normally Natsu's smiles edged on the manic, with a barely contained energy that surged through his frame like an explosion just waiting to happen.

The smile that Lucy basked in now, though, was warm, and soft...and full of love. The difference was like night and day to someone like Erza, who had known Natsu for so many years.

A quiet sniffle drew all three mage's attention. When Lucy looked at the source, she was astonished to see Erza hastily wiping at her eyes with the back of her hand.

"W-what's wrong?" Natsu asked, wide eyed with alarm. It was a rare thing indeed to see the stalwart requip mage cry, and to see her doing it without any sort of obvious provocation was even stranger.

"Oh, Natsu, you're such a good boy," the woman said, sniffling again. This answer only made Natsu's eyebrows shoot up until they almost disappeared into his hairline "No, excuse me, a good _man._ I'm just...I'm just so proud," she added as she reached out and dragged him in for a hug.

To his relief, his friend wasn't wearing her chest plate at the moment, so he was met with soft flesh when she embraced him, rather than the usual painful 'clang' that tended to accompany a heartfelt embrace from Erza.

"E-Erza," he objected as he tried to squirm free of her hold, but failed "Have you been drinking or something?" the dragon slayer complained as he twisted far enough around to catch Lucy's eye and mouth _'help me!'_ at her.

Leaping to the rescue, Lucy put aside her bowl, and lifted Happy from her lap as she chuckled and moved towards the pair, saying "Erza, I don't think he can breathe."

Teary eyed, the redhead glanced up at her and then said "Oh, you too, Lucy! You're a good girl. You've grown so much since you first joined the guild."

To the blonde's alarm, Erza released Natsu, who gasped for air as he toppled backwards and away from his attacker, only to drag Lucy in for similar treatment.

"I'm so proud of the both of you," she said with a happy sigh as she stroked Lucy's long, golden hair.

"Um, th-thanks?" the girl in her arms stammered. Deciding it was best to simply go along with it, Lucy returned the embrace and patted Erza's back comfortingly.

Natsu and Happy shared a baffled look as Juvia approached hesitantly and asked "Um, Juvia is not interrupting something, is she?"

"Nope," Natsu answered hurriedly, hoping that the presence of another might help pull Erza from her oddly saccharine mood "Erza was just...just-"

"Just being sentimental," the woman said with a rueful smile as she released her hold on Lucy after giving her head one final pat, and then looked up at Juvia "Don't let that scare you off, though."

Trying, and failing, to suppress a smile, the water mage nodded and then seated herself with their little group as Lucy extricated herself from Erza and reclaimed her spot next to Natsu. The oddly emotional moment over, they chatted idly amongst themselves for a time until the sound of a guitar being tuned pulled all of their attention to a small group of sailors, a few of whom had all produced instruments and seemed ready to play.

"Oh good, Juvia was hoping they would play again," the bluenette remarked happily as the small group of musicians warmed up.

"They've played before?" Lucy asked curiously, leaning slightly so she could get a better look.

"Yep! Every night so far," Happy said cheerfully "Some of them line danced last night," he added brightly.

"It was fun to watch," Erza noted with a smile.

"What, you didn't give it a try?" Lucy asked her friend with a sly smile.

The requip mage flushed a little and shook her head "I can dance, but line dancing is something I'm not familiar with. The steps seemed quite complicated."

"They can be, sometimes," Lucy agreed as the musicians seemed to finish tuning their instruments. They played a few notes, and then launched into a quick paced sea shanty. The girl laughed in surprise as several of the ship hands lined up and began to dance, some more skillfully than others. It was odd to see a line dance done to a sea shanty, but with the tweaking of some moves and the addition of others, it worked quite well.

Acting on a whim that was no doubt the result of being trapped below decks for almost three days straight, Lucy clambered to her feet and held out a hand to Natsu as she asked "Wanna dance?"

"What?" he asked, alarmed as he glanced between her and those already dancing "I don't know how!"

"Oh it's not that hard!" Lucy said with an impatient gesture. When Natsu balked, though, the blonde huffed and tossed her hair "Suit yourself," she said, and flounced off to join in, leaving her boyfriend staring after her, completely taken aback. He hadn't honestly thought that she'd go without him, apparently.

Several of the sailors grinned when Lucy ran up and took her place at the end of one of the lines and fell into step with them. Natsu, Erza, Juvia, and Carla were all quite surprised when their fellow mage proved to be more than capable of keeping up with the men. At first, her steps were a little off tempo as she watched the man next to her closely, modifying the steps she was already familiar with to match their style. Within a few moments, she was dancing with an ease that belied familiarity with whatever dance the sailor's version was based on.

"Wow! Juvia did not realize Lucy could do organized dances," the water mage commented admiringly as several sailors whistled their appreciation when the blonde kicked up her heels and performed a tight turn in perfect time to the music.

"Me neither," Natsu admitted, pointedly ignoring the flare of jealousy that burst to life in his chest at all the admiring looks his girlfriend was getting. Still, she was obviously enjoying herself, and after the rough few days she'd had, the dragon slayer certainly wasn't about to interfere. That, and he had a feeling that she'd toss him overboard if he tried.

"Well, she _did_ teach you how to dance for that one mission we did," Happy pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Natsu remarked, brow furrowed slightly as he thought back to that day. It had been ballroom dancing, and after some hard work on his part, and a great deal of patience on Lucy's, he had become passable enough at it to blend in in a ballroom for their mission.

"Don't know why you guys are all so surprised," a gruff voice commented blandly, making their little group glance around in surprise.

Gajeel stood there with his crimson gaze on the lines of dancers, Lily hovering nearby. At their baffled looks, the iron dragon slayer rolled his eyes and said "She grew up rich, didn't she? Arranged marriage and everything. She's had lessons on how to be a lady since she was a kid. Knowing how to do all kinds of dances is practically mandatory."

"Oh, that's true," Erza said with a blink of surprise that was shared amongst her friends.

"Lucy a lady? That's kind of funny to think of," Happy said with a laugh, clearly tickled by the thought.

"So what's being a girl got to do with knowing how to dance?" Natsu asked, nose wrinkling in confusion.

"Not a girl, a _lady,_ idiot," Gajeel huffed.

"What, same thing, isn't it?"

Before Gajeel could insult his fellow slayer over his lack of knowledge, Lily cut the man off and said "No, a girl is not necessarily a lady, Natsu. To earn such a title generally requires a great deal of schooling from a very young age, something that is generally only indulged in by the very rich," he paused a moment before adding "Though, if it's anything like back in Edolas, she would only have the official title of 'lady' if her family belonged to the nobility, which, I do not believe the Heartfilias did, technically speaking. Still, having been born into a family that was exceedingly wealthy, Lucy would have been raised as a lady in anticipation of her potentially marrying into the nobility to bring extra legitimacy to her family's name."

The dark exceed glanced up at his companion, obviously curious as to where this new insight to their blonde companion had sprung from, but Gajeel made no further comment.

Frowning and annoyed at finding there was an entire facet of Lucy's life that he was apparently completely oblivious to, Natsu felt obliged to prove that he wasn't completely ignorant of his girlfriend's childhood "Her family wasn't always rich, you know," he said almost defensively.

"No, but her father did make his fortune shortly after she was born, if I remember right," Erza commented thoughtfully "He seemed the sort that planned ahead for that kind of thing."

"What about her mother?" Juvia asked curiously, having been content to listen up to that point.

"What about her?" Natsu asked.

"Well, was she-" her words were cut off by the cessation of the music, and the sight of Lucy striding determinedly towards them once more.

"Bravo, Lucy! You were wonderful," Erza told her with a smile.

Flushed and a little breathless, her eyes bright from the exercise, Lucy gave her friend a mock curtsy and grinned as she said "Thanks. It's been ages, but I think I kept up okay."

"Definitely kept 'em on their toes, blondie," Gajeel commented with a subtle smile on his thin lips.

"Well that's all I can ask for," Lucy said brightly before turning to Natsu and holding out a hand once more "Will you dance with me _now_ Natsu?" she asked, a hint of a whine to her voice as she waggled her fingers at him "We don't have to line dance! We can dance normally, like that time at the ball," she added, flushing a little brighter.

"What, you mean that time you pulled me up on the floating platform and I puked down the front of your dress?" he asked wryly, the 'no' that had been hovering on his lips dying a swift death in the face of the hopeful look she was giving him.

"I was thinking more like the minute or so _before_ the puking, when we were dancing like normal people," Lucy countered, rolling her eyes expressively at the memory.

"Yeah, alright then," Natsu said with an amused snort as he accepted her hand, and let her haul him to his feet. The delighted smile she gave him made any potential awkwardness well worth it.

At that moment, the sailors began playing again, another upbeat tune that had most of them returning to their lines to dance, though Lucy led them a little distance away so they wouldn't be under anyone's feat.

She stopped, then, and asked "You remember what I taught you?"

"Of course," Natsu said with more confidence than he actually felt. Still, he slipped his hand around her waist, and then took her hand in his the way she had taught him all those months ago.

She smiled at him again, placed her hand on his shoulder, and said "We'll have to move pretty quick to keep time," as she paused to listen to the beat of the music "I'll lead for a moment until you get the hang of it, okay?"

"Okay," he agreed, a little relieved that he would have at least a few moments for a refresher so he didn't make a complete fool of himself.

Just as one sailor lifted his voice in song, they started to move.

_'Struck by lightning, sounds pretty frightening_  
But you know the chances are so small  
Stuck by a bee sting, nothing but a B-thing  
Better chance you're gonna buy it in a squall

But it's a twenty-three four-to-one  
That you can fall in love by the end of this song  
So get up, get up  
Tell the bookie "put a bet up"  
Not a damn thing will go wrong'

"What kind of sailing song _is_ this?" Natsu asked aloud as muscle memory returned and he found himself more-or-less able to take over the lead for their dance. They did indeed have to move much more quickly that she had originally taught him to keep time with the song. While it was definitely harder, the former dragon slayer found it quite a bit more fun.

"I like it," Lucy replied with a teasing grin as she quickly pulled her foot out of reach of Natsu's as he misstepped when he glanced around curiously at the band "Hey, pay attention!" she chided him.

"Sorry," the former slayer said as he pulled his attention back to the dance at hand "How am I doing?" he asked artlessly.

"Well, up until you almost crushed my foot a moment ago, pretty good," Lucy replied, then surprised her partner by using her grip on his shoulder to pull him in closer, making him glance down at her in surprise "What? It's normal for couples do dance like this," she said innocently.

Natsu decided not to comment on this, as he wasn't about to complain about extra physical contact with Lucy. He'd had all too little of it the last few days, after all.

_'The odds are that we will probably be alright_  
Odds are we're gonna be alright, odds are we're gonna be alright tonight  
The odds are that we will probably be alright  
Odds are we're gonna be alright, odds are we're gonna be alright for another night

Sure things go wrong, but I'll take my chances  
Odds are long, so why not play?'

Feeling confident enough in himself now to be a little daring, Natsu diverted them from their set path, and lead Lucy in a quick circle around their friends, who whistled or clapped as they past, making the girl in his arms laugh delightedly. Thoroughly enthralled by the sight of Lucy's head thrown back as she laughed, long golden hair trailing like a comet's tail in their wake, Natsu acted on impulse and leaned in just as she straightened and stole a kiss.

The woman let out a muffled squeak of surprise, but did not pull away. Instead, as the music died down, she leaned into him with a happy sigh, encouraging Natsu to wrap her up in his arms and give up any pretense of dancing.

_'The odds are that we will probably be alright  
Odds are we're gonna be alright, odds are we're gonna be alright for another night...'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well there we go! The group is finally on their way to Telmare!
> 
> The song the sailors are singing (and that the chapter is named for) is 'Odds Are' by the Barenaked Ladies. It's a super great song with a pretty hilarious music video, I highly recommend it. Obviously I had to tweak one line to make it fit in with the story, because I'm not entirely sure that there are shopping malls in Fairy Tail...lol.
> 
> Anyways, tune in next week for drama! In the mean time, please drop a review if enjoyed the chapter! My muse has a voracious appetite.


	31. Lord of the Sea

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First of all, HUGE, teary-eyed, grateful shout out to the extremely talented yaushie for the gorgeous fanart she did for One Wish this week! Definitely check her out on tumblr, her art is lovely! I also reblogged the fanart to the official fic tumblr (one-wish-fanfic), so you can find her that way too! I threw a bit of fanart up there myself this week, for anyone who might be interested.
> 
> Secondly, welcome to all you new readers who found the fic thanks to yaushie, I hope you are enjoying everything so far!
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed, they (and fanart ;D ) really help keep me inspired to write!

Fire, pain, screaming, the heavy scent of scorched flesh...Lucy was overwhelmed by brief flashes of all of these things as reality crashed in around her ears.

"Lucy, hold on!"

Natsu's voice was close and strangled with panic as she struggled to focus on the familiar silhouette leaning over her.

She knew there was pain, _unbearable_ pain racking her body, but already her brain was shutting down connection to it for the sake of her sanity, sending her into the soft, dark embrace of severe shock. Natsu's expression as his face swam into focus told her all she needed to know anyways.

Lucy tried to speak, but her tongue was too slow and thick from the unbearably hot air and the ash that filled it, fluttering down from a cloudy, crimson sky like so much snow.

"What the hell were you thinking?!" Natsu demanded helplessly, hands fluttering uncertainly in the air between them, his own skin pale and streaked with soot and blood. He made a small choking noise as Lucy's eyelids slipped shut, body too drained of resources to keep them open any longer.

"I'm going to have to cauterize it, Lucy, you're bleeding too much! Dammit!" though she couldn't see him, she could hear the pain in the dragon slayer's voice as it suddenly went very small, and he said "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. This is going to hurt..."

Lucy's eyes flew open wide and a scream of agony tore from her throat as her flesh began to burn.

* * *

Lucy fell out of her hammock with a thump that was eclipsed by the rush and sigh of the ocean outside the hull of the ship.

For a long, quiet minute, the blonde lay there in a crumpled, sweaty, shaking heap, tangled in the light blanket she had wrapped herself in before bed. Horror and nausea warred for dominance as tendrils of her nightmare clung to her waking mind. Eventually, though, nausea won out.

Scrambling unsteadily to her feet, Lucy ran from the tiny room she and her friends had been given for the duration of the voyage, and made for the stairs. As the ship rose and fell with the crest of a wave, the woman missed a stair and smacked her shin against the corner of a step.

Swearing silently to herself, tears streaming down her cheeks now, Lucy regained her footing and burst out into the cool night air, then made a bee-line for the railing.

High above in the crow's nest, the distinct sound of vomiting was carried to Natsu's ears, making him crane over the edge of the railing to find the source. He wasn't surprised to see Lucy bent double over the railing of the port side of the main deck, though he did grimace sympathetically at the sight.

Despite wanting to go to her, he opted to give his girlfriend her peace for the moment, knowing full well that _he_ preferred to be left to himself when his guts decided to try and turn themselves inside out.

Coming to this decision, Natsu settled himself in comfortably once more, charcoal eyes scanning the horizon for potential trouble. A storm was gathering in the distance, though it was still some ways off. The sailor he was covering for was still holding out hope that the clouds might shift south and miss them altogether. They'd already had such unusually good luck on this voyage, apparently, that the entire crew was crossing it's fingers that such should continue.

Though it took a moment for it to register thanks to the fickle breeze, Natsu realized that the sounds of retching had turned to quiet, heart-wrenching sobs, startling him from his reverie. Frowning, the man twisted to look down once more to see Lucy still leaning heavily against the railing, face pressed into her hands in an attempt to stifle the sounds of her distress. Even from that height, he could see her slim shoulders shaking with the effort.

Realizing that motion-sickness couldn't be the only thing plaguing his girlfriend to elicit such a reaction from her, Natsu stood, and then climbed out of the crow's nest to stand on it's outer edge as he looked for the easiest way down. Spotting a nearby rope, the former slayer grabbed it and allowed himself to make a controlled fall down to the boom. He landed in a neat crouch, and then climbed down the shroud and gained the deck in record time. Natsu took a moment to wave to the sailor he'd relieved for his break to let him know his time was up, and then headed directly for Lucy.

She'd barely moved during his quick descent, apparently too distracted by whatever had upset her to even notice the sound of his boots ringing on the deck as he crossed towards her.

"Luce, what's wrong?" he asked, voice low and concerned as he reached out to her, startling the woman with his sudden appearance.

The blonde whirled to look at him, eyes wide and red from crying as she watched him step out of the shadows and into the sphere of light cast by the deck lamp nearby. Lucy mopped hurriedly at her face with her sleeve, biting down on her lip as she fought back a second wave of tears brought on by an exhausting mixture of horror that lingered from her nightmare, nausea, and shame at being caught in such a miserable state by the man she loved.

"Nothing," she answered immediately, trying and failing to smile up at Natsu as he came to a stop before her, his long, dark coat billowing in the stiff breeze that rolled across the ship "It's nothing."

The rose haired mage looked down at her skeptically "Yeah, right," he said as he fished in the inside pocket of his borrowed coat and dragged out a handkerchief. He never carried the things, but apparently Gray did, and Natsu was grateful for the fact. Maybe he should pick up the habit as well.

When the man held out the square of white linen towards her, Lucy hesitated, then accepted it with a shaking hand. While she took a moment to mop at her tear-stained face, Natsu stepped away, and then returned with a cup of water from the barrel kept on deck for the sailors to drink from. Silently, the man took the hanky back and shoved it into a pocket as he offered Lucy the cup. She accepted it before taking a grateful sip of the frigid water within.

The first mouthful served to rinse the last of the bile from her mouth, and the rest she gulped down to quench her thirst.

Raising an eyebrow at the hurried way she drank, Natsu asked "Want some more?" when she finished.

Lucy nodded shyly, some color returning to her cheeks as he took the cup from her and went back to the water barrel. She trailed along behind him this time, watching from under her long lashes as he refilled the cup, knowing that he hadn't accepted her assertions that nothing was bothering her by any means.

After the cup was pressed into her hands once more, and the girl sipped at it's contents more sedately this time, the couple settled themselves on the steps up to the poopdeck. Natsu leaned back into the corner of the stairs and the wall before holding out an arm and lifting his chin in invitation for her to lean against him.

Without hesitation, Lucy slid over and slipped in under his arm to rest her head against his shoulder. After a moment, Natsu shifted and tugged at his coat so it at least partially wrapped around her, the fur lining soft against her skin. She didn't need the additional warmth, but she still appreciated the gesture for what it was; an offer of comfort.

As Lucy gradually relaxed against him, her arms finding their way around his waist, Natsu tilted his head back to rest against the stairs at his back. He regarded the stars above them thoughtfully for a minute before finally asking "So, you going to tell me why you were crying, or do I have to bully it out of you?"

Beside him, Lucy went rigid, then relaxed with a quiet snort "Bully me? Yeah right."

A smile spread across Natsu's features as he turned his head slightly so he could glance down at her and say "What? I could give it a go."

"Lets not," his girlfriend replied lightly with a roll of her eyes before turning her gaze to focus on his scarf, one end of which had slipped to the side and into easy reach of her hand. Fiddling idly with the length of scaled fabric, Lucy was quiet for a moment before admitting "I just...I had a nightmare," a frown furrowed her brow as she added "A really, _really_ horrible nightmare."

"What was it about?" Natsu asked, voice carefully neutral.

"I don't know, it's mostly gone now," Lucy said, sounding relieved by this fact "I just remember pain, awful pain, and you were there with me. You were so upset, and the sky was red as blood and full of ash..." she shuddered, and Natsu tightened his grip on her, pulling her in flush against him "I'm glad I don't remember anymore. It all...it all felt so _real_ ," she muttered "I've never had a nightmare that intense before."

"It's over now," Natsu said, knowing there wasn't much else he _could_ say to something like that "You'll feel better in the morning," he reassured her.

"Do you ever remember your nightmares?" Lucy asked, the words slipping out without her meaning them to.

Now it was Natsu's turn to go rigid, though after a breath, he relaxed again and said "No, I don't usually remember mine," he glanced down at her, a vaguely uncomfortable expression on his tan features as he asked "How many..."

Realizing what he was asking, Lucy said "Just the once since I started staying with you guys. It was the night before Wendy came over to take a look at your injuries."

"When I woke up on the couch," Natsu said, comprehension dawning across his features. So that's what had happened.

Lucy nodded "You fell out of your hammock and I had to catch you," she admitted shyly "Then Happy said that you'd sleep better with me than alone so I put you on the couch with me," she added, cheeks burning as she turned her attention back to the frayed ends of his scarf, plucking at them distractedly with pale fingers.

"He did, huh?" Natsu asked with a chuckle, making a mental note to tell his furry friend thank you when he had the chance. For the moment, though, the man leaned down and brushed his cheek against Lucy's fair hair "Thanks for taking care of me," he said in a low tone as he pressed a light kiss to the top of her head.

"You too," she said, tightening her arms around him in a brief squeeze as quiet descended over the pair of them.

Natsu had very nearly drifted off to sleep, awash in the sound of the waves and the snap of the sails as the ship gently rocked around them, when Lucy spoke, dragging him back to wakefulness once more.

"Looks like rain," she said quietly, brown eyes on the distant horizon, where dark, heavy clouds were gathering under the light of the moon above.

"The sailors are all hoping that it might pass us by. I guess we've had unusually good weather for this trip or something," Natsu remarked as he stifled a yawn.

"I'm not surprised," Lucy said.

"What do you mean?" the man beside her asked, brow furrowed in confusion as he glanced down at her.

"Well, there's all sorts of theories about magic and the way it affects weather, even without using weather specific spells," Lucy explained "Though it's such a difficult to study phenomenon that there's not a lot of hard information on it. You get all kinds of things happening in areas where a lot of magic, or magic users, gather regularly."

Natsu blinked as Lucy slipped unconsciously into lecture mode. Amused, he asked "Like what?"

"Well, weather is the most obvious one," she said "Haven't you ever noticed how mild the weather in Magnolia is? It's a seaside town and yet we never get the big storms that ravage the rest of the coast," the blonde pointed out, making Natsu blink in surprise. In fact, he _hadn't_ realized that other towns suffered under harsher weather than theirs.

"Some think that it can bring luck, too, good fortune type of stuff. That's even harder to prove, though," Lucy mused "Fiore as a country has an unusually high percentage of magic users, and prospers with minimal effort, compared to others. It's hard to say if that's because of the increased ambient magic having a positive effect on the country as a whole, or simple coincidence, though."

"Uh-huh," Natsu said, starting to feel a little lost. Noticing how the theoretical discussion seemed to be returning his girlfriend to her usual liveliness, though, he indulged her and hazarded his own input to the conversation "So, what's the downside then?"

The woman gave him a startled glance, and he wasn't sure if it stemmed from her surprise that he was actually following her, or simply because it was a fact she hadn't considered before.

"Well..." she said hesitantly "Many would say that the world is all about balance, and that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction, even for magic. Having so many magic users consistently in residence in Magnolia might bring prosperity and good weather...but you have to admit, that we attract a great deal of trouble as well."

Natsu mulled this thought over for a moment "Yeah, we kinda do, don't we?" he admitted with a laugh tempered by a grimace as he thought of all of the damage that had been done to the city over the years. And then there was the horror that had been the eclipse gate fiasco in the capital. They'd gathered and stored so much magic there over the course of seven years. It had allowed them to open the gate, but bad luck had intervened in the form of a strange eclipse and twisted the entire thing into a mess that had resulted in so many deaths...could the simple presence of so much magic have been responsible for knocking over that first domino in a line of disastrous events?

Ruffling his hair absently with his free hand, Natsu scowled at the thought. The brush of Lucy's gentle fingers along line of his jaw distracted him, though, and made him turn to look at her smiling face.

"Hey, don't let it bother you, okay? It's all-" she waved one hand vaguely "really hypothetically."

"How'd we get on this subject anyways?" The dragon slayer asked, squinting as he tried to recall.

"You mentioned the weather being oddly good and I went off on a tangent about magic affecting weather," Lucy mused with a smile "What I was _trying_ to get at, before I got distracted, was that having so many powerful magic users in one place _might_ be affecting the local weather around the boat, meaning better conditions for the trip."

"Ah, right," Natsu remarked as he stretched and winced as the stairs dug into his back a little too hard for comfort. Seeing Lucy yawn, the rose haired mage got to his feet, and tugged her along with him "Come on, let's get back to bed. You don't want to still be up when the troia starts to wear off."

Lucy grimaced and groaned at the thought, but nodded her agreement "I will be so glad to get off this damn boat," she muttered as they went below deck once more.

* * *

Lucy was roused from her nausea induced stupor some hours later by the sound of someone stumbling down the stairs on the other side of the wall, and then entering the room in a hurry. How long it had been since she had gone to bed she could not say for sure, as she had been too wrapped up in her own personal hell thanks to the sudden increase of movement from the ship around them to notice.

After she had returned to her hammock, the storm Natsu had been watching in the distance had crashed down on them with the vengeance of the gods and sent their ship reeling. Wind and wave alike battered them mercilessly, leaving Lucy and Gajeel near comatose from the shock of it when they weren't busy dry heaving over the edge of their hammocks. Their stomachs had been empty for hours, but still the compulsion was there as they huddled helplessly in the belly of the ship with only each other for company.

Blessed coolness swept over the blonde as a small, trembling hand was pressed gently to her forehead. Lucy heaved a huge sigh of relief as her nausea faded, and then disappeared all together. Blinking and confused by this turn of events, she pushed herself upright and looked around to see Wendy standing over a pale and shaking Gajeel.

"What time is it?" Lucy asked as she rolled out of her hammock, and was immediately forced to make a grab for the nearest support beam to keep from being thrown clean off her feet when the ship bucked around them. She couldn't be sure, but it _seemed_ too early in the day for Wendy to be paying them her usual evening visit. That, and she hadn't just performed a partial troia to allow them to come above deck to eat dinner, she had completely banished Lucy's sickness.

"I don't know," Wendy answered, voice tight as green light poured from her palms and spilled across Gajeel's sweat soaked skin "I lost track hours ago...five o'clock maybe?" she guessed distractedly.

Worry immediately settled over Lucy's shoulders as she moved to Wendy's side and placed a steadying hand on the girl so she could work on their friend uninterrupted "It must be pretty bad if you're waking us. What's going on?"

Her work done, and Gajeel quickly stirring back into wakefulness, the sky dragon slayer turned brown eyes, wide with thinly veiled terror, to look up at the other girl "It's bad out there, Lucy. He hasn't said it, but...but I think the captain is worried we're going to lose the ship if this goes on much longer."

"Well that's shitty news to wake up to," Gajeel grumbled while he got to his feet, red eyes narrowed grimly as he glanced between the two girls and added "Lets get topside, see if there's anything we can do to help."

"Right," Lucy said with a sharp nod as she donned her long black coat and pulled the hood up over her head, then followed the other two up the stairs. Fear and panic nipped at her heels as she went, but the former celestial spirit mage pushed it firmly aside and ignored the feeling as best she could. All she really wanted to do was run back to their room and huddle in a hyperventilating heap in her hammock, but her friends needed her now. She could freak out later.

When Wendy pushed the door that led out onto the deck open, the bluenette was nearly snatched right out by the force of the wind. Gajeel, directly behind her, grabbed her by the arm before she could be blown away, and dragged her back in.

Breathing hard, the girl gasped "Thanks."

"Stick close," Gajeel told her, surprising his fellow slayers by taking Wendy's small, pale hand in his large tan one, and gripping it tight.

"Y-yes," the girl said, fighting back tears as Gajeel shoved the door open once more and stepped out, Wendy and Lucy following close behind.

The scene outside was utter chaos. Despite the fact that it was still early evening, the black clouds that roiled tempestuously overhead completely blocked out the sun, casting the world into darkness lit only by the near constant lightning that rippled alarmingly across the sky in waves. Rain fell in torrents, soaking the three of them to the bone in seconds while thunder crashed deafeningly directly overhead, forcing Lucy to clap her hands protectively over her ears. This, however, meant that she released her hold on the door frame just as the ship listed dangerously to starboard, sending her stumbling away before Gajeel could get a hand on her.

The blonde fetched up against the railing and clung to it as a wave crashed over the deck, leaving her in water up to her knees for a moment before it receded again, though not before nearly sweeping her feet out from under her as it went. Lucy rode it out with an expression of grim determination, looking around for her friends as she did. Forced to shake tendrils of soaked golden hair out of her face, the woman spotted Gray nearby, hauling on a rope with a female sailor as they struggled to raise the mainsail.

Quickly adjusting to movement of the wildly rocking ship, Lucy hurried to the ice mage's side and grabbed the length of rope that trailed behind him. Wrapping it firmly around one arm before grabbing it with both hands, the blonde stepped back and hauled with all her strength. Gray and the sailor glanced back at her in surprise, but quickly took advantage of the help to bring sail to order. High above their heads, Natsu and another sailor tied additional restraints before hurrying on to the next.

"Are you alright?" Lucy shouted at Gray over the noise of the storm when she noticed he was bleeding from a shallow gash across his shoulders.

"I'm fine," he bellowed back "Fell against the rail is all."

The ice mage wasn't able to say anything else, as the ship suddenly canted hard to one side again, moving strangely against the direction of the waves. Still holding onto the rope, Lucy tightened her grip, and flung out one hand to her friend. Gray grasped her forearm, and for a moment the girl was forced to bear his full weight until the ship had righted itself once more.

"The hell was that?" Gray demanded as he released her arm, and Lucy untangled herself from the rope.

"Dunno, rogue wave?" she guessed as they both ran across the momentarily level deck to assist Erza, who was struggling to tie down a canon that had broken loose of it's bindings.

Gray's only reply was a grunt as they both threw their shoulders into the heavy iron canon, freeing Erza up to tie off the ropes.

"Thanks," the red head said even as another wave spilled over the deck, forcing them to hold onto the canon they'd just tethered lest they be swept away. Erza flipped her long, dark hair out of her face and pointed to another canon that was dangerously close to pulling free as well "Get that one, I'll go check the others."

The pair nodded as the requip mage turned and made her way down the line before they headed to the next canon. Lucy set her feet against the wet wood of the deck, and shoved the canon back into it's slot with a grunt of effort, struggling to maintain her grip water slicked iron as the ship surged up a mammoth wave, and then rode down the other side while Gray tried to make do with the broken rope.

Swearing, he finally gave up and froze the thing in place as he demanded "The fuck do they need all these damn canons for anyways?"

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answers to!" Lucy, who had a sinking suspicion as to the reason, answered.

Just as the pair turned to see where they should go next, there was a deafening crash as something smashed into the side of the ship with a gut wrenching cacophony of splintering wood. Everyone on deck was sent stumbling by the impact, clinging to the nearest solid surface to keep from being swept into the frigid, unforgiving ocean. Lucy reeled unsteadily, forcing Gray, who had latched onto the canon they'd just tethered, to grab her and drag her in against him with his free arm.

The woman clung to him as they rode out the impact that made the entire ship shudder beneath their boots.

"Please tell me that was a reef," she whimpered as the boat rocked in a counter motion while someone shouted in the distance. The blonde glanced up at her companion just in time to see him staring wide-eyed at something behind her.

Before she could turn to see what he was looking at, Gray shoved her bodily away from him just as the mizzenmast's boom, torn from it's anchoring ropes by the impact, swung towards them. The length of heavy timber caught the ice mage across the temple with a sickening crack as he turned to avoid it. The force of the impact lifted Gray off his feet and threw him over the railing and out of sight in one fell swoop.

"Gray!" Lucy screamed, horrified and panicking as she struggled to get to her feet, narrowly missing getting hit by the same boom as it swung wildly with the heaving of the ship.

Before she could even make it to the railing, though, Juvia streaked soundlessly past her, a blue blur as she leaped overboard in a graceful dive that pierced the inky waves far below like an arrow.

Lucy clung to the frozen canon for support as she watched the water, heart pounding erratically in her chest as she waited for her friends to reappear. There was no sign of either mage before an ear piercing shriek cut through the wind and rain long enough to attract the blonde's attention.

From her place up on the poopdeck with Gajeel, Wendy was pointing frantically to port, shouting something that only those in her immediate vicinity could hear.

Seeing her companions congregating there as sailors continued to battle for control of the ship, which had begun listing dangerously to starboard ever since the terrible impact, Lucy hurried to join them.

"Gray and Juvia just went overboard," she shouted desperately as she reached them.

At her voice, Natsu spun on heel and grabbed her to him, face grim, though relief was clear in his eyes when he saw she was unharmed "We'll have to rely on Juvia to take care of Gray, we've got bigger issues," he said through grit teeth before turning his attention back to the sky dragon slayer.

"There's something in the water," Wendy said, apparently repeating herself for Lucy and Captain Marcus' sake, as they were the last to join them.

"Are you sure, girl?" the captain asked, voice tight.

"Positive, I saw it!" the sky dragon slayer insisted "I was at the railing during that hit we took! Something came up out of the water and slammed into the front right side of the ship."

"Natsu, we can't just leave Gray and Juvia out there!" Lucy insisted, looking up at her boyfriend as she gripped the lapels of his soaked, borrowed coat to keep from stumbling as another impact made the ship shudder under them.

Before he could answer, though, someone on the main deck screamed "Leviathan!"

The captain swore and spun on heel as the water to the port side of the ship surged unnaturally, then broke and cascaded across a broad, spiked back.

The appearance of the leviathan from the depths seemed to happen in short, startling bursts as lightning burned a path across the clouds, affording them only brief glances of the terrifying creature. To Lucy, it looked as though a crocodile and a cobra had combined to form a nightmarish offspring of colossal proportions. Covered all over in heavy, blue-gray scales, and easily sixty feet in length, the leviathan lifted it's horned head and roared, drowning out the thunder with it's call.

"Oh fuck," Lucy said to no one in particular. Beside her, Natsu squeezed her hand tightly in his as they both watched the sea monster turn it's crimson gaze to their crippled ship.

Below them, sailors screamed and fled to the opposite side of the deck as the leviathan swam almost leisurely to the mid-point of the ship and reared up in the water before latching onto the hull with one massive forelimb.

Startled back to reality by the screams of the helpless men and women below, Erza turned to the captain and said "Get your people to the lifeboats, Marcus, now!"

The man, still obviously in shock, turned his weathered face towards the requip mage and said "It's no good, lass, it's the Leviathan's way. It cripples a ship, sinks it, and then picks off the survivors at will for it's dinner," the man released an unsteady breath as he dragged a shaking hand down the length of his face "Stacking my people in lifeboats will only make easier mouthfuls for the beast. Without them...well, there's always a chance that a scattered few will survive."

Marcus' voice was so emotionless and matter-of-fact as he laid out this grim future that Erza and the rest could only stare at him in horror.

"Do what she says, captain," Natsu said, breaking the silence as he squared his shoulders and flashed the much older man one of his most manic, devil-may-care grins " _We'll_ take care of the monster _._ "

The group went from staring at one man, to the other, until Gajeel said "Right. Can't be much worse than a dragon, huh? Stupid thing doesn't even have wings."

"It's practically a lizard," Erza agreed with a small smile as she planted her hands firmly on her hips.

"Though a very large one, we must admit," Wendy added as she glanced up and around for Carla. Spotting her, Lily, and Happy up among the sails, helping the last of the stranded sailors back onto the main deck, she waived them down.

Hanging her head and laughing, Lucy said "Oh gods, we're all going to die," when she looked up again, Natsu was grinning at her, and the sight gave her the strength to say "Alright, lets go then," as the exceeds arrived, looking worried, but determined.

"You're all mad," Captain Marcus said, disbelief written clear across his features.

"Does it matter? If we don't do anything, we're all gonna die. If we do something and fail, we all die. If we can at least distract the monster long enough for you and your people to get clear, though, that will be enough," Erza said, brown eyes hard as she stared the man down.

Natsu scoffed "Speak for yourself, I ain't dying today."

"Yeah," Gajeel said with a snort of derision.

Rolling her eyes, Lucy turned to the captain of the ship and said "Sounds like you should get your people to the lifeboats. We'll keep that thing busy," as she glanced at the Leviathan, which had already succeeded in tearing a gaping hole in the side of the ship. Debris littered the water as the beast hauled itself further up on deck, causing the entire boat to tip dangerously sideways in the water. It wouldn't be long until it capsized entirely.

Seeing the uniform look of determination on the faces of his passengers, the captain hesitated, and then finally said "Alright. Gods bless and keep you all, and blood well good luck."

After the man had turned and run down the stairs, bellowing orders to his frantic people as he did, Natsu turned back to the group and said "Alright, Lucy, Gajeel, Wendy – you three get in the air and keep that thing distracted. Get it back in the water if you can manage," turning his attention to Erza he said "You and me are going to help get the sailors to the lifeboats, then double back to help."

Natsu looked around the group as everyone nodded their agreement to the plan, then added grimly "Alright, get moving! And keep an eye out for Gray and Juvia, they're out there somewhere. Pick them up if you can."

Lily and Carla grabbed up Gajeel and Wendy and flew towards the leviathan, struggling to make headway through the wind and rain along the way. As Happy lifted her, though, Lucy reached out and grabbed Natsu by the collar of his coat, using it to drag him in for a kiss.

Their lips crashed together, the kiss hard and desperate as she clung to him, his hands cradling her face with fingers made cold and chapped by the weather. Lucy covered them briefly with her warm ones when they broke apart, and said "Be safe."

"I'll try," he said, icy rain streaming down his face as he smiled at her, then pressed his forehead briefly to hers. Together, eyes closed, they shared a breath, and then parted as Happy's wings grabbed the air with a clap and pushed them skyward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you guys forgot that one of the things preventing much travel between Telmare and Fiore was sea monsters, huh? ;D (or maybe not. you guys seem to have a pretty good memory for these things I've noticed XD ) The 'Leviathan' is actually based on the Lagiacrus from Monster Hunter, as a nod to the game series with some of my all time favorite monster designs (seriously so many cool creatures). So if you want to see what it actually looks like, give it a google!
> 
> Tune in next Saturday for more action and drama! In the mean time, remember to drop a review to help keep me inspired to write said action and drama!


	32. Into the Depths

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, I'm sorry this got posted so much later in the day than usual, guys. Wednesday and Thursday are my main writing days, but on Thursday my father went in for surgery (an elective one for a medical implant. He's not like...sick or anything) and that proved more distracting than expected, considering we're not even in the same state atm.
> 
> On the plus side, I got a little 2-in-1 tablet this week! That means I'll have a way to work on chapters during my breaks at work, so that's a bonus at least.
> 
> Anyways, please make sure to drop a review if you enjoy! These really are getting harder and harder to write, so I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to let me know what you thought!

As they soared on the back of the wind through the pounding rain, Lucy couldn't resist the temptation to glance back over her shoulder at Natsu. He had already turned and was now sprinting across the pitching deck of the ship towards a group of sailors fighting with a lifeboat. Pushing in amongst the crush of struggling bodies, the rose haired man threw his shoulder against the boat's paneled side and successfully dislodged it from where it had become stuck on the railing. It swung wildly on it's tethering ropes for a moment before dropping down into the water below.

"He'll be alright, Lucy," Happy reassured her, grinning at his blonde friend when she looked up at him.

"Yeah," she agreed, returning his smile with more confidence than she felt before turning her attention to the task at hand.

By now, they had caught up to Wendy and Gajeel. Happy brought them alongside their companions as they circled the leviathan below. The creature had yet to notice it had company, focused as it was on the deck of the ship.

"What is it doing? It's not attacking anyone," Lucy called over the noise of the storm.

Lily shook his head, face grim as he said "Worse than that, look at what it's been up to while we were talking!"

Lucy and Wendy narrowed their eyes against the rain and watched as the sea monster levered itself a little further up onto the deck and tore out the last section of railing along the port side of the ship. It's massive, scaly paw tore deep grooves into the woodwork as it reached out, dragged one of the few remaining canons from it's tethers, and cast it into the sea.

Startled, the blonde scanned the ship and realized that there were only one or two canons remaining, and those were tied to the opposite side of the deck and facing the wrong direction, rendering them completely useless.

"Oh my gods," Lucy breathed "It's taking out the ship's defenses!"

"It's intelligent," Wendy added, brown eyes wide with shock at the revelation as they watched the leviathan turn it's attention to the life boats and the sailors scrambling into them.

"We have to move now!" Gajeel shouted while the sea monster thrashed it's tail in preparation for a lunge that would take it further up onto the deck "Attack in sequence, if we do it all at once we might tear the ship apart."

Lucy and Wendy nodded their agreement as Lily angled his wings and dove hard and fast, Happy and Carla trailing behind in his slip stream with their partners.

Lungs swelling, Gajeel bellowed "Iron Dragon's Roar!" as he exhaled sharply, the resulting blast catching the leviathan full in the face and making it jerk back in surprise, though it did not release it's grip on the ship.

Wendy followed close behind, strafing the monster's side with a roar of her own, while Lucy mirrored her along it's other side.

With a bellow of agony the creature reared back and released it's hold on the boat, slipping back into the water. The ship lurched wildly as a result, sending people tumbling, and lifeboats swinging dangerously. Below them, Erza and Natsu both struggled to regain control of the situation, ordering people off the ship before the monster turned it's attention on them again.

The dragon slayers regrouped, but kept moving, made wary by the way the leviathan's gaze now tracked them across the sky. It hissed and snarled up at them, the sound strange and guttural as it echoed across the heaving waves. As it did, Wendy and Gajeel shared a startled look.

"Gajeel, is that-" Wendy began.

"Yeah," he replied, eyes narrowing as Happy and Lucy drew up alongside him.

"What? What is it?" she asked, confused by their exchange.

"It's speaking draconic," Gajeel explained, voice terse "That means it's not a sea monster at all, it's a freaking sea wyvern."

"And what does that mean? What's it even saying?" Lucy asked baffled and alarmed by how tense her teammates suddenly were. When the iron dragon slayer didn't answer, the blonde looked askance at Wendy, who could only shrug helplessly.

"I-I don't speak much draconic," she admitted "But it's annoyed, I know that. It's calling us pests."

"And that's the polite bits," Gajeel said with a snort before glancing at the girls and saying "Stay here, I'll be back. Lets go, Lily."

The black exceed grunted his agreement and let the pair of them drop within range of the leviathan. Flying dangerously close to the beast's snout, Gajeel shouted back at the creature in the same peculiar language.

Lucy and Wendy watched pensively from where they hovered high above, until, still feeling lost, the blonde finally asked "So what's a wyvern exactly? Is that somehow worse than a regular sea monster?"

"Definitely worse," Carla answered first.

Wendy nodded and added "Wyverns are like...cousins to the dragons."

"Cousins that really, _really_ hate each other," the bluenette's companion continued.

Lucy considered this for a moment as she watched Gajeel shout at the sea wyvern below them, the thing snarled in return even as it sank lower in the water "So are they as strong as dragons?" she asked worriedly, recalling how difficult their war against the scaled behemoths had been in the wake of the grand magic games. In fact, despite the number of slayers that had been present, only Natsu had succeeded in actually bringing one down...

"No," Wendy replied to her friend's relief "But they do supposedly have similar powers, which is why I'm worried," she said, also recalling their previous battle against such creatures.

"Maybe we won't have to fight after all," the blonde said, hope rising as the monster thrashed one final time, and then sank beneath the waves, retreating from sight. Gajeel watched it go before gesturing for Lily to carry him back to his fellow dragon slayers.

"Is it leaving?" Wendy asked hopefully as the man approached.

"It will if it's smart," the iron dragon slayer growled, voice rough, no doubt from speaking the harsh, draconic language for the first time in years.

"Well until it makes up it's mind, we should hurry back and help Natsu and Erza," Lucy suggested, turning her attention back to the ship. It was sitting dangerously low in the water now, thanks to the holes that had been rent in it's hull during the wyvern's initial attack.

"We'll go," Gajeel told Lucy before turning his attention to Wendy and saying "You and Carla look for Juvia and Gray."

"Right, they can't have gone far, not with Juvia-" Wendy began, but cut herself off with a cry of alarm as the water below them surged, and then exploded violently upwards.

A roar so loud that it made Lucy's ears ring, leaving her and Happy both disoriented, filled the air around them. Below, the sea wyvern burst so high into the air, that only pure luck kept it's teeth from snapping shut on Gajeel's boots. As it was, the beast missed them all by inches, making the iron dragon slayer swear. Frozen in shock, they could do little more than watch as it fell.

"Move! Everyone move!" Lucy shrieked at the top of her lungs as the exceeds made a hard turn and rocketed towards the ship in the vain hope of stopping the monster's unavoidable descent.

They were too slow, though, and the blonde could only watch in horror as Natsu stared up at the leviathan plummeting towards him. With his path to the lifeboats blocked by it's descent, the man threw himself backwards through the door belowdecks.

* * *

Natsu swore loudly as he tumbled head over heels down the stairs and crashed into a pile of crates and debris at the bottom. Before he could get to his feet, though, a crash shook the boat, and the sound of splintering wood echoed through the cargo hold. A moment later, there was a second, smaller crash, followed by the roar of the sea wyvern.

"Stupid gods-damned lizard," the rose haired mage snarled as he clambered out of the pile of junk he'd landed in, and made a run for the stairs.

It was pitch dark within the hold, though, forcing Natsu to slow down and feel his way along the wall towards where he knew the stairs were. He swore again when he found them with his toes, but didn't linger over the pain. Instead, he rushed up, and pushed at the door. When didn't so much as budge under his hands, Natsu threw his shoulder into it in hopes of forcing the entryway open.

"Come on!" he growled as he backed down the stairs a few paces, and then charged up them again, throwing himself bodily at the door. It refused to shift, though, no matter hard he pushed, magically assisted or no.

Another shock rocked the ship, knocking Natsu off balance, and sending him stumbling back down the stairs. He skipped the last few in the dark, and yelped in surprise when he found himself plunging into waist deep water.

"You are fucking kidding me!" he exclaimed as he fought for his footing and was forced to feel around for something to grab onto. When his hand came into contact with what seemed to be a support pillar, the man latched onto it and then grabbed Lucy's keys from their place on his belt with his other. He was going to need help to get out of here. At this point, he'd take whatever he could get, but there was one spirit in particular that would be far more useful than the rest.

Trying to discern the difference between each key by touch in the dark, Natsu grabbed one that felt right and said "Gate of the Water Bearer, open! Aquarius!"

* * *

The leviathan landed perpendicularly across the ship with a crash that splintered the deck and snapped it's keel with a sound like a dozen canons firing. Clinging to the remaining railing as the last of the lifeboats swung dangerously on it's ropes behind her, Erza stared at the massive beast with wide brown eyes. It rolled onto it's belly and turned one gleaming eye to her, it's jaw hanging open in a way that made the requip mage thing that it was almost...smiling at her.

Without hesitation, Erza requipped into her sea empress armor as she met the monster's gaze. With a casual swing of her long, silver blade, the woman severed the ropes cradling the final lifeboat full of sailors and their captain behind her, allowing it to drop free into the ocean below.

Above them, Lucy, Wendy, and Gajeel were moving in fast, lining up for another sequenced attack to distract the sea wyvern, which was already turning it's attention towards the escaping boats full of defenseless humans.

"Natsu's caught inside the ship, try not to hit it!" Lucy shouted at her companions as she noted the way the mast had fallen across the door, effectively blocking it. Hopefully her boyfriend would be able to find another way out, but on the off chance he couldn't, there was no point in putting him in extra danger by carelessly hitting what remained of their vessel.

Pulling on the water that surrounded them with the help of her armor's magic, Erza swung her blade in a wide arc, slashing the leviathan across the chest with a shout of effort. To her irritation, though, the attack seemed to do little but scratch the monster's heavily plated chest. It turned a disdainful eye on her, then glanced upward at the larger threat of three dragon slayers who were taking a deep breath for a second round of attacks.

Snarling, the sea wyvern lashed out with it's teeth, snake-like as it snapped at the air, forcing the slayers and their exceed companions to do a quick roll out of the way, interrupting their attack. It shifted position, then, pulling it's limbs in under it so it could stand. As it did, the blunt spars on it's back that they had all taken for protective spikes began to pulse and glow with a blue-white light. Electricity crackled along it's scales, and then exploded outward in a flash that blinded all of them.

Taken off guard by this unexpected attack, Erza was unable to requip in time, and screamed as the lightning tore through her body, shredding her armor and leaving the woman in a twitching heap on the deck. Gajeel, Wendy, and Lucy crashed down to the deck nearby as the leviathan roared in triumph and launched itself into the water once more, heading directly for the fleeing lifeboats.

Without the weight of the sea wyvern holding it in place, the two halves of the ship bucked in the water, then split with a deafening crack. The forward portion groaned, and sank beneath the waves almost immediately, leaving the aft to tip forward and begin it's own, slower, descent.

Lucy shook herself, struggling against the after effects of the lightning attack they'd all suffered. Curiously, Natsu's magic surged under her skin, and then seemed to push the foreign magic off, leaving her more-or-less unaffected. No doubt a side effect, she thought distractedly, of his ability to use lightning-fire dragon magic. Glancing around, though, the blonde realized that she was the only one that appeared to be so. Happy lay a few feet away from her, wings gone and fur smoking. She grabbed him quickly as the ship began to tip forward beneath them before he slide right into the sea.

The woman glanced up and around, expression going grim as she saw the leviathan steadily advancing on the now distant lifeboats. It slid through the water with effortless grace, it's neck, head, and electricity conducting spines the only things visible above the surface.

"Happy?" she said worriedly, shaking the little exceed as she looked between him, their companions, and the monster "Happy, come on, kitten..."

When the feline barely twitched, Lucy did her best to stifle her worry, and tucked him under her before sliding towards Erza, who was beginning to stir lethargically.

"Erza wake up!" she commanded, taking the redhead by the shoulder and shaking her vigorously.

The requip mage's eyes fluttered open hesitantly as she struggled to focus "Lucy?" she mumbled.

"That's right," the blonde said breathlessly, trying to haul her friend's unresisting form upright with one hand, while using the other to keep her grip on Happy "You have to get up, we've got work to do, Erza. Those people are in danger, and Gajeel took that last hit hard," she continued, glancing worriedly back at the iron dragon slayer's crumpled form. Though he hadn't been hit any harder than she or the others, Lucy had a feeling that all of his piercings had only served to conduct the leviathan's attack, making things significantly worse for him.

"I've got them, you go," Wendy said, appearing at Lucy's side with Carla in one arm "If you can keep that thing distracted, I'll do what I can for everyone and we'll catch you up."

Lucy looked the bluenette up and down. She was in rough shape, but not so bad as their friends. The sky dragon slayer met her eyes with a steady gaze, and the blonde knew she had precious little choice at this point.

"Right," she said with a nod, and passed Happy gently over to her young friend, then glanced around at their surroundings. The remains of the ship were tilting at an ever shrinking angle, and it wouldn't be long before the deck would be impossible to stand on.

The fact that there was still no sign of Natsu was something Lucy forced to the back of her mind. Natsu was tough, even with her magic, as he had proved time and time again in training. She had to trust him to take care of himself for now, while she went to help those that could not.

Pushing herself to her feet before she could change her mind, Lucy sprinted past the shattered stump of the main mast that had fallen across the entrance to the cargo hold of the ship, and ran up the length of the mizzenmast. The leviathan's attack had left it tilting at a wild angle, allowing the blonde to use it as a ramp to the sky. Shouting with effort when she reached it's end, Lucy threw herself into the air with all of her might, trailing fire in her wake.

* * *

"Goddammit, Aquarius!" Natsu bellowed from within the ship's hold. He wasn't sure what the hell was going on outside since the boat had rocked alarmingly, and then tilted in an ominously downward direction, but now the slow seep of water from before had changed into a torrential gush he had no hope of slowing. Not that it mattered, he couldn't even see where it was coming from.

The former slayer sported a number of bruises after being thrown about with the shattered remains of the cargo. That, combined with frigid ocean water, and a pile of debris that now blocked the only exit, was conspiring to weaken and trap him, making for a very unhappy Natsu.

Reaching for another key, the mage poured his magic into it, not even bothering to say the words this time. There was the chime of a bell, and the darkness was briefly relieved by pure, golden light as the water bearer appeared before him. Fifth time was the charm, apparently.

"What the hell? Where are we?" the spirit demanded irately, then cursed as a loud thump told her summoner that the mermaid had struck her head on the increasingly low ceiling.

"On a ship," Natsu answered as he waded towards her, the water now up to his chest. He batted away a length of lumber as he noted that a faint blue aura emanated from Aquarius, illuminating the darkness, if only a little.

"On a ship _where ?_ The bottom of the fucking ocean?" the woman asked skeptically.

"It will be soon if you don't get me out of here!" Natsu said impatiently as the wall to his right groaned ominously and more water gushed in. It wouldn't be long before he was swimming "We were attacked by a sea monster and it's wrecked the ship. It-"

"You were _what_?!" the spirit screeched as she rounded on Natsu and dragged him up out of the water by the front of his coat "Where's Lucy? Why aren't you with her? I swear by the stars themselves, if you-"

"She's fighting the monster, I was helping evacuate the crew when I got stuck in here," the man explained impatiently as she shook out of her grip, and plunged back into the water, barely able to keep his chin above the water without standing on his toes, now. Even Aquarius, who had been hovering over the water's surface before, was now nearly up to her waist.

"What the hell kind of boyfriend gets himself stuck while his girlfriend is off fighting a monster?" Aquarius growled.

"The kind that is about to fucking drown!" Natsu yelled back and thrashed impatiently "You can lecture me later, but for now Lucy and the others need our help," he said grimly.

Aquarius folded her arms under her ample chest as she glared down at her wayward, temporary master, before finally grumbling and saying "Fine. I'm gonna kick your ass for this later, though."

"Whatever! Just get us out of here before we hit the bottom!" Natsu snapped and he pressed his hands to the ceiling to keep from bumping his head as the water forced him upward.

"Alright, hold your breath, boy," the spirit said as she swam over to the wall.

Natsu took a deep breath and clamped his eyes shut as Aquarius struck the wall with her tail, smashing a hole in the hull flooding the room. Just before the small space filled completely, Natsu felt her grab him by the wrist and drag him out into the open ocean.

It took a frighteningly long time for the mermaid to pull him to the surface. The slayer's lungs were screaming for oxygen, and his body was quickly going numb with the cold, leaving him feeling clumsy and lethargic by the time they made it.

When they broke the surface, Natsu gasped hugely and latched onto the floating debris Aquarius guided him towards. Rain was still pouring down with a vengeance, but the sky had lightened slightly, allowing summoner and spirit both to make out a little of their surroundings.

At first, there wasn't much to see, thanks to the ten foot waves rising and falling around them. When one lifted them both from the valley of water they had been stuck in, though, Aquarius and Natsu were finally afforded a view of what was going on.

A little ways away was the remains of the aft section of the ship, now floating completely vertical in the water, leaving Erza, Gajeel, Wendy, and the exceeds to stand on what had once been the boat's rear wall. Well, Erza and Wendy were standing, anyways. The requip mage had Gajeel slung across her shoulders in a fireman hold, doing her best to balance while Wendy did what she could for him. Lily, still in his small form, kept a tight hold on Carla and Happy at the bluenette's feet.

"Natsu!"

Pulling his attention back to Aquarius, the mage glanced up at her pale, grim features, and then looked where she was pointing in the distance. He craned his neck, but was forced to wait for a wave to lift him and his make-shift raft again to see what had caught her eye.

At first, he could make out only shadows, until a flash of fire lit the darkness, briefly illuminating Lucy's battle with the leviathan. She and the monster were dangerously close to the lifeboats, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that his girlfriend had been forced to abandon her injured friends on the ship to defend the helpless sailors trying to make their escape.

"You have to go help her," Natsu said as the rise and fall of the sea took him down into a valley once more, Aquarius still bobbing effortlessly beside him.

To his surprise the spirit actually hesitated, concern flickering across her normally severe face as she asked "What about you?"

"I'll be f-fine," he insisted, stammering as a shiver rocked him. He clutched the gaff to which he clung a little tighter with numb fingers as he met the mermaid's look of disbelief with a level gaze.

" _Go,_ " he insisted, jerking his head towards the battle "Those people are more important than I am right now, they're just civilians. I can handle myself until you get back."

Aquarius flicked her tail indecisively for a moment before finally saying "Fine, but if you make me have to explain to Lucy why her stupid boyfriend drowned after he insisted I leave him alone in the middle of the gods-damned ocean, I won't be taking the blame!"

"Y-yeah, yeah, whatever. Just go!"

The spirit huffed one last time and dove into the water with a flick of her tail, then vanished from sight. Natsu spotted her briefly in the distance when she leapt between waves before disappearing once more.

Turning his attention to the remains of the ship where the rest of his friends were still taking refuge, Natsu was startled to see that he had already drifted some distance away. He swore silently, jaw clenched too tight against the cold to actually manage the words aloud. The dragon slayer couldn't recall _ever_ feeling so cold for as long as he had lived. His hands, locked in a death-grip on the ropes wound around the gaff to which he clung, were long since numb. His legs weren't much better, but, strangely, his feet seemed to have become so cold that they were coming back around to warm again.

_That_ couldn't be a good sign.

It took a monumental amount of effort, but Natsu kicked his legs, slowly at first, to close the distance between him and the others. He was finally beginning to make some headway when a long shadow suddenly loomed across his path, making the man glance back in alarm.

Above him, a wave at least twenty feet tall loomed, it's peak capped with seafoam and just beginning to curl as he shouted "Oh come on!"

Natsu barely managed to take a breath before the water crashed down on his head and dragged him, helpless to resist, into the frigid depths.

* * *

She wasn't going to make it.

The distance was simply too great, and not even the strength of Natsu's magic could make Lucy jump _that_ far, however badly she wanted to.

Just before she hit the water, though, a memory flickered to life behind her eyes, and the blonde kicked out her feet, fire bursting from her heels in great gouts that slowed her descent, then rocketed her straight back into the air with a startled yelp.

Normally, she knew, Natsu had Happy to guide him in times like these, but she was flying solo, and Lucy now had a terrifying, fist hand knowledge as to why her boyfriend rarely tried this by himself.

It was impossible to steer.

Still, she was going in more-or-less the right direction as she performed wild, dizzying arcs to catch up to the leviathan while it closed in on the lifeboats. It wasn't an efficient way to travel, though, and already she could see her prey looming over the sailors, neck arched, ready to strike...

Desperation being the mother of invention, a second thought occurred to Lucy, spurring her to grab her whip mid-fall, and lash out at the sea wyvern's snout. She let out a whoop of triumph as it successfully grabbed the monster and bound it's mouth shut, startling it into jerking it's head around.

The motion dragged Lucy high into the air with a yell as she struggled to keep her hold on the hilt of her whip. As she reached the top of the arc, though, and gravity's hold on her gave way temporarily, the woman flipped, and dropped straight down, driving both feet into the unguarded spot just behind the leviathan's horns.

"Fire dragon's claw!" she yelled as her fire-clad boots slammed home, driving the monster face down into the water.

It didn't stay down long, though, and a moment later, Lucy was holding onto her whip for dear life again, balancing on the back of the thing's head and trying to wrestle it into submission. Reeling in the length of the fleuve de etoile, the blonde nearly had the sea wyvern's chin pressed back to his throat when it countered her efforts by rolling violently to one side.

Thrown off balance so she was swinging through the air once more, Lucy screamed as the leviathan got it's head and dove beneath the waves, dragging her with it.

Catching a mouthful of sea water, the woman disengaged her whip and struck out for the surface, heart pounding as fear nipped at her heels. The sea monster could be anywhere at all and she wouldn't even see it coming...

Breaking into the air, Lucy gasped for breath, coughing up water and on the verge of hyperventilating as she started swimming blindly. Her terror screamed at her, clawing at the back of mind as she waited for those massive jaws to close around her from below. Already she could feel the shift of the water as she struggled to get into the air but couldn't manage it, the magic slipping from her control in her panic.

"Lucy!"

The blonde was tackled to the side by a body just as the Leviathan burst to the surface, jaws wide, crimson eyes furious as it's teeth snapped shut on nothing.

"Aquarius!" Lucy sobbed when she realized who had saved her. She clung to her like a child to it's mother as the mermaid hovered over the surface of the water, holding her tightly.

"Get a hold of yourself!" the spirit snapped, startling her former mistress out of her panic with the harshness of her tone "We don't have time for your crying now, so get your shit together and get back on that goddamn sea lizard before it eats all those people!"

Lucy stared up at the other woman, wide-eyed with shock "I-" she began, then blinked and shook her head, a determined expression settling over her formerly terrified features. Once again, she strong-armed her fear aside for the sake of their mission. There were lives at stake, and she was the only one that could help right now.

"Right. Give me a boost and then get those people out of here?" she said, jerking her head towards the lifeboats that were, even now, being industriously rowed away by their passengers. It wasn't fast enough, though, and it would be the work of moments for the leviathan to catch them once more.

"Hargeon all over again," Aquarius muttered with a snort, but nodded her agreement as she shifted her grip on Lucy from around the girl's waist, to her forearms.

A short bark of a laugh escaped the blonde as she was half dangled in the water in preparation for take-off "Something like that."

The spirit smiled down at her, and then, without warning, spun hard and fast. The momentum dragged Lucy out of the water, and then launched her high into the air.

As she ascended like a rocket, the girl glanced down to watch as Aquarius summoned her urn and gave it a mighty swing. Water erupted from it's depths, and just as it had on the day she first met Natsu, the resulting wave drove the little lifeboats into the distance before disappearing from sight all together.

Her upward momentum slowing, Lucy took a brief moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath as she flipped gracefully mid-air, re-orienting herself for the descent. Rain pelting her, and wind whipping at her hair and clothes mercilessly, Natsu's magic roared to life once more, engulfing her in fire as she dropped towards the sea like a falling star.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, sorry guys! I wasn't expecting to not wrap this bit up this chapter, but here we are. We'll be done with crazy sea monster business next round, I promise XD Also, no, I haven't forgotten Gray and Juvia, I swear!
> 
> In the mean time, please consider dropping a review! Writing is hard, but hearing what you guys enjoyed (or even concrit!) about my latest chapter really does help keep me inspired to keep at it!


	33. The Savage Gate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT WEEK'S UPDATE WILL BE SUNDAY THE 9TH, instead of Saturday the 8th, just FYI! Trying to get all my editing done on Friday is proving too difficult with my work schedule, so we're gonna bump the publishing day back by one to give me a little wiggle room.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! Make sure to leave a comment if you do, they give me life AND inspiration! Thank you all so much for the lovely ones I received this last week, they made me so happy, even if I didn't get a chance to respond ;-; I read every single one!

Tumbling head over heels as the current dragged him into the depths, Natsu could no longer tell up from down. He struggled to right himself, fighting in vain against the power of the ocean around him as it's incredible weight threatened to drive the air from his lungs.

Forcing his eyes open, the former dragon slayer looked for any sign that might tell him in which direction the surface lay, but had no such luck. The wave had carried him so deep that there was nothing but suffocating darkness around him. He fought down the panic and forced his tired, frozen limbs into motion in an effort to save himself. His coat and sword hindered him, but he didn't have the energy, or presence of mind to try and pull his way free of them.

Lost in that eternal nightscape, the man had no idea if he was making any headway at all, and he could already feel himself losing consciousness as he lost the battle to keep the air in his lungs. It wooshed out of him in one great burst that almost came as a relief to his aching chest. When he inhaled water a second later, though, the terror returned, and adrenaline kicked in, giving Natsu new, if temporary, strength.

He could feel something moving alongside him in the water as he struggled, and without a second thought, Natsu thrust out an arm in the darkness, catching hold of something cold, though definitely alive. It startled him by returning his grip, an unseen hand latching onto his wrist and then dragging on him sharply.

The man collided with something solid, though as he busied himself retching up the seawater that had invaded his lungs, it took a moment to register that it was a human body.

"Are you _puking_ on me?" a familiar voice demanded, making Natsu look up in surprise. Wherever he was, though, it was still pitch black, and unpleasantly wet, as though he'd somehow become trapped inside a bubble.

"Gray, is that you?" the rose haired mage asked, struggling briefly against the other man's grip on him.

"Yeah, now quit squirming already," the ice mage grumbled, a slight slur to his words that making Natsu pause, distracting him from the way Gray's arms wrapped around him in a tight embrace made him feel decidedly awkward. Being crushed against the man's muscular chest like some buxom heroine from one of Lucy's romance novels was just about the last place he wanted to be, half-drowned or not.

"I don't like it either, but Juvia is having a hard time maintaining the bubble. If I don't keep a grip on you, you might wind back up out there," Gray added unhappily, the cadence of his voice still slightly off.

"You okay?" Natsu asked, reluctantly putting aside his discomfort for the moment, squinting up at Gray in the slowly improving light. Now that he was paying attention, he could feel the bubble they were in moving around them in an upward direction. Every so often, his feet, or some other part of him, would slip outside the confines of Juvia's magic and back into the frigid sea.

"I'm fine," Gray replied flatly, making his friend level a skeptical look in the general direction of his face on the off chance the other man could actually see him.

"Juvia is afraid Gray may have a concussion," the water mage's worried voice said out of the blue, words filling the space around them "Juvia _wanted_ to bring him directly back to Wendy, but-"

"But one of the lifeboats capsized and we had to help get them to the other boats," the ice mage cut in sharply as he shifted his hold on Natsu a little, who remained rigid in his arms "Will you freaking relax? I'm not going to molest you or something," Gray complained.

A strangled noise escaped the bubble around them, and Natsu guessed that Juvia was struggling very hard to muffle an outburst of some sort. He grimaced and said in a wry voice "Seriously, man? Like this wasn't awkward enough, you had to take it there?"

"I promise I'll return you to Lucy with your virtue intact," Gray replied distractedly as the water around them lightened noticeably, revealing a great deal of debris around them, as well as the distant shadow of half their former ship.

More importantly, though, the light revealed the deep gash on Gray's temple.

"Shit, you really did hit your head," the former slayer said with a concerned frown, the sight enough to distract him from the sarcastic come-back he'd been about to deliver.

"Give the idiot a prize," the ice mage grumbled, making his friend scowl.

Before he could comment, though, Juvia said "Juvia has found them! Wendy and the others are on the remains of the ship," there was a brief pause in their forward momentum as the water mage seemed to gather herself around them, saying "Please hold your breath."

Natsu did as he was told, wincing as the ice cold water closed in on him once again. It didn't last long, though, as it surged upwards in an arc, dragging him and Gray with it before dropping them in a graceless heap at Erza's feet.

"Gray, Natsu!" the requip mage exclaimed, clearly relieved as she crouched beside the boys and helped them both sit upright. She glanced up at Juvia when the water mage reformed beside her, and added "Good job, Juvia, keeping these two idiots alive on your own."

"Oi," both men complained, though Gray winced, making Natsu reach out and grab his shoulder to steady the dark haired mage.

"He hit his head, apparently," he told Erza when she gave the ice mage a concerned look.

The requip mage nodded and glanced over her shoulder to where Wendy was finishing up her work on Gajeel. He still looked rough around the edges, but better than he had been a few minutes before in the wake of the leviathan's attack.

"Got another one for you, Wendy, when you have a moment" the redhead told the sky dragon slayer, who nodded distractedly as she worked. Erza glanced back at Natsu, and asked "How about you? Still in one piece?"

"Yeah, more or less," the slayer said with a distracted nod of his own as he glanced around and noticed that someone was missing. Trying and failing to suppress a shiver, he asked "Is Lucy still…"

"Off showing us all up? Yeah," Gajeel said, pointing into the storm, where brief flashes of fire could be seen. A distant roar echoed across the waves as Happy clambered into Natsu's lap.

"We're gonna go help, right?" the little exceed asked, looking tired and a little singed, but determined all the same.

"Of course. Can't let Luce have _all_ the fun," Natsu replied as he tousled his friend's ears with a stiff, cold hand.

Happy beamed up at him, and Erza smiled, adding "Right. Gajeel, are you feeling up to it?"

The iron dragon slayer scoffed and got to his feet, Lily following suit "Of course. What kind of stupid question is that?"

"Hold up and I'll come with you," Gray said, trying to shake off Wendy's delicate hands where they hovered over his temple. She followed him, though, frowning in concentration.

"You stay here," Erza told him firmly as she got to her feet "Juvia can help us, but you'll be no good to us when you can barely see straight."

When the ice mage looked ready to protest, the redhead held up a hand and added "We need you to figure a way out for us, Gray. I don't know if you noticed, but we're short a ship, and Happy, Carla, and Lily can't carry all of us all the way to Telmare."

"And _I_ sure as hell ain't swimming," Gajeel muttered under his breath, making Lily grin.

Reluctantly, Gray finally nodded his agreement, realizing that he was the only one of their party capable of providing them a new form of transport in a hurry "Fine, leave the hard part to me, then. You guys go have all the fun," he said with a huff.

Natsu grinned and said "Wouldn't have it any other way."

* * *

Narrowing her eyes against the burn of the wind as she fell, Lucy could just make out the leviathan where it lurked beneath the waves. Such a thing should have been impossible, but the monster's armor clad back was beginning to light up again, electricity glittering ominously in the darkness.

The blonde watched as the sea wyvern's head turned towards the surface, jaws wide as light bloomed at the back of it's throat. Realizing what was about to happen, Lucy flared Natsu's magic around her, and pierced the waves with the hiss of evaporating water.

She struck the creature hard enough across the nose to startle it, successfully cutting off its attack, but the water slowed her descent so much that she did little in the way of actual damage.

Deciding not to stick around to find out just what kind of attack the leviathan had been about to unleash, Lucy kicked sharply and shot back towards the surface, gathering fire around her like a cloak as she did so. It was more difficult underwater, but not impossible, allowing her to break free of the sea's grip and shoot back into the air before her opponent could collect itself to lash out at her once more.

Reaching the top of her ascent over the waves as the monster burst forth after her once more, the sound of her name being shouted over the storm made Lucy look around in surprise.

Rocketing towards her at top speed was Natsu, Gajeel and Erza, being carried by Happy, Lily, and Carla.

"Lucy, look out!" Happy cried, making the woman glance down in surprise, her sense of relief at the sight of her friends short lived. The sea wyvern's gaping jaws filled her vision, making her eyes go wide in alarm as she cursed.

Acting on instinct, the blonde flipped backwards and kicked out with both heels as hard as she could, pouring as much magic as possible into the attack. The maneuver managed to carry her just over the crest of the monster's lower jaw so her mule-kick caught it in the chin, making it's head snap back sharply. The leviathan's mouth slammed shut with a thunderous crash as Lucy tumbled back down towards the water once more.

This time, before she could hit the waves, her descent was arrested with an arm wrenching jerk by a vice-like grip on each of her wrists. Startled, Lucy looked up into Natsu's grinning features as he said "Hey sexy, come here often?"

This surprised a laugh out of the girl, which was probably for the best considering that the sight of her boyfriend, safe and sound, had had her on the verge of tears a second before.

"Oh, you know," she replied with a roll of her eyes, before adding with a grin of her own "How about you? What's a nice boy like you doing in a place like this?"

Above her, holding on to her other wrist, Gajeel groaned and said " _Really_? Will you two idiots pay attention already?"

Lucy laughed again, feeling relieved and re-energized by the sudden reappearance of her friends "Oh please, we can flirt _and_ fight, Gajeel," she said with a cheeky grin up at the iron dragon slayer as she shifted herself so she was returning their grip on her forearms.

"Uh-huh," the dark haired man drawled as crimson eyes scanned the battle ahead of them while Natsu gave his girlfriend a wink, making Happy giggle.

While Natsu and Gajeel had been rescuing her from another dunking, Erza, with Carla's assistance, had moved in to engage the leviathan using her lightning empress armor. As the trio closed in, the requip mage deflected a bolt of lightning fired from the creature's gaping maw. As it fought, the spines on it's back began to glow brighter once more. At the same time, Lucy caught a brief flash of blue scales as Aquarius leaped over the leviathan's tail before disappearing into the waves again, working in tandem with Juvia to keep it trapped in a vortex.

"It's going to do an area attack again," Lucy warned the boys "Erza will be able to handle it, but it'll take the rest of us out, and there won't be a boat to land on this time!"

"We'll just have to stop it first, then," Natsu said with a grim smile.

"We'll throw Lucy at it," Gajeel said after a moment's consideration "I can't get near it when it's charging like that, and you won't be able to do anything of use down there," the iron dragon slayer continued over Natsu's furious protests.

"Do it, it's our best bet," Lucy agreed with a nod at the older man, before smiling up at Natsu and saying "No worries, I'll be fine."

The former dragon slayer looked torn for a moment before finally nodding and saying "Alright. Make it count. Get in there and wreck its shit, then get out" with a manic grin as Happy and Lily synchronized their wing-beats to bank sharply upwards.

Gravity dragged hard at Lucy as they did a dizzying loop, Gajeel and Natsu's grip almost painful on her arms with the force of it. When they released her, she shot towards the leviathan's glittering back, legs outstretched and arms above her head. Once again, she pulled on Natsu's magic, relishing that brief, peaceful moment before impact as it surged through her, filling her with heat from head to toe before spilling out into the air around her as fire.

The blonde hit the monster's back with enough force that the huge creature actually bobbed in the water. Distracted from it's battle with Erza, the leviathan glanced over it's shoulder at her, snarling and hissing in the strange language of the dragons once more. Lucy met it's gaze and bared her teeth at it in reply as the energy already collected in the tremendous, almost crystalline spars around the blonde crackled over her skin, and cast strange shadows across her features.

Before the monster could attack, the girl took a wide stance, spreading her arms as she twisted at the waist and poured every ounce of magic she hand into her tightly clenched fists.

"Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" she shouted, and swung her arms with a sharp twist, releasing her magic in a vortex of flame that tore across the monster's back in a blinding burst, shattering it's electricity conducting spines with a deafening crack.

Above her, Happy and Lily were lifted high into the air by the sudden updraft from the intense heat of Lucy's attack. Grinning to himself, Natsu held his hands out to warm them as he watched the leviathan writhe under the powerful onslaught unleashed by his girlfriend.

"You actually _taught_ her that?!" Gajeel demanded when the heat had died down enough that he no longer had to shield his face.

"Well, yeah," Natsu said with a blink "Why wouldn't I?"

The iron dragon slayer stared at the rose haired mage for a long moment, at a loss for how to reply to that.

Flashing the other man a grin, Natsu turned in the air and said "Wait here, we'll go grab Luce. Come on, Happy!"

"Aye!" the blue exceed exclaimed cheerfully as he carried them towards their friend. When Lucy turned and waved him off, though, Happy paused, then rolled sharply to the side when the sea wyvern shot an unexpected bolt of lightning from it's mouth.

Natsu swore as it sizzled past, narrowly missing them and making his hair stand on end. He glanced back over his shoulder, and was relieved to see that it did not seem to be on course for hitting Gajeel and Lily...until the attack suddenly swerved and headed directly for the pair.

"Gajeel, move!" he bellowed as Happy flared his wings and rushed back the way they had come. Neither knew what they could possibly do when they got there, but they did it anyways.

From her place on the leviathan's back, Lucy watched as Lily dropped sharply, only to have the attack follow them. Cursing the man's iron studs and the leviathan's curious magic, the blonde dragged on the remains of Natsu's magic and inhaled sharply.

At first, nothing seemed to happen, but then, the ball of energy slowed as it was inexorably dragged back in towards Lucy. Behind her, she could hear Erza clashing with the leviathan again, could feel it heave and surge under her feet while the requip mage kept it busy so the beast would not simply turn and snatch the blonde up in it's teeth while she focused on the task at hand.

Some force driving the leviathan's magic seemed to snap, then, and Lucy could feel it rocket back in towards her as Natsu's magic dragged on it greedily. She had planned to simply dodge to the side once it was no longer pursuing Gajeel, but her legs had locked in place as her magic took control, and she had no choice but to devour it.

Electricity surged over her tongue and poured down her throat, pricking her flesh in a way reminiscent of trying to swallow a mouthful of needles. The lightning burned so hot it felt cold as it roared through her veins and battled with Natsu's magic for dominance, making her double over in pain. Gasping for breath with tears springing to her eyes, Lucy shuddered and clamped her arms tightly around her middle as she tried to ride out the agonizing sensation. It was so overwhelming that she didn't even notice Happy and Natsu land beside her.

"Get rid of it, Lucy," the man commanded, grabbing her tightly by the shoulders and giving her a sharp shake to get her attention. Magic raced painfully across his skin at the contact, but he ignored it, though Happy jumped free of his back in order to avoid being caught up in Lucy's aura.

"It hurts," the blonde whimpered, eyes clamped tightly shut as she shook her head sharply. Her long, golden hair floated eerily around her, the hood of her coat pushed back now as rain poured down from above. It all evaporated inches from Lucy's skin, though, leaving her as dry as a sunny day.

"I know," Natsu said, stepping around behind her "That's why you have to get rid of it."

"I'm too tired, Natsu," Lucy gasped as she sagged dangerously, Happy hovering anxiously nearby "I can't do an attack."

"Then just purge it out, Luce," her boyfriend insisted "If you're not going to use it, you can't keep it or it'll burn you from the inside out, get me?" He ran one hand down her back, her magic searing his skin painfully, but he ignored it as the woman took a deep breath and nodded.

Staggering a little, Lucy stepped away from Natsu and focused on the foreign magic that was wreaking havoc on her system. Gathering up what remained of Natsu's magic, she pulled it into her core, took a breath, and then forced it outwards, pushing the leviathan's magic before it like a wave. There was a sharp, sizzling crack, and then she was alone in her body once more with only the warm, familiar presence of her boyfriend's magic for company.

"Luce?"

Natsu's voice was warm and concerned as she turned to look at him, and smiled "I'm fine," she lied as she pushed back her shoulders and lifted her chin confidently.

Before the man beside her could call her out on the untruth, though, the monster on which they were so precariously perched heaved again, and roared, dragging their attention upwards to where Gajeel and Erza were working in tandem to beat back the wyvern. It seemed that it was finally out of magic, but it was still a sixty foot sea monster with a mouth full of dagger-like teeth and armored scales.

"It's going to try to dive again," Lucy said with a scowl of annoyance as she grabbed Natsu without warning and leaped free of the monster's back.

Forced to throw his arms around his girlfriend's neck as she carried him bridal style, Natsu barely resisted the urge to complain at the treatment, and his attention battle unfolding below them instead.

Together, Erza and Gajeel had been forcing the Leviathan back, though it seemed unwilling to retreat as yet. Even if it _had_ decided to flee, it would have had a difficult time of it, now that Aquarius and Juvia were working together to turn the tides against it. The beast had become so angered by their battle and the loss of it's meal that the fight had apparently become a personal vendetta against them, in any case. Now, with a bellow of effort, it shook off Juvia and Aquarius' magical grip and dove once more, leaving the mages to circle, waiting for it to make it's appearance again. None of them believed for a moment that it had actually left.

Before Lucy's upward momentum died off, Happy caught them with a grunt of effort, allowing them both a few extra moments to look around.

"Look, it's Gray and Wendy!" the exceed cried, his wings straining against the turbulent air as he turned them towards their friends.

"Take us down," Lucy said, tightening her hold on Natsu while Happy did as asked.

Wendy stood in the prow of a small, rough ship that, on closer inspection, proved to be made primarily of ice. The make-shift mast, sail, and ropes, though, appeared to have been scavenged from the wreckage, then cobbled together with Gray's magic. As a result, they had wound up with a passable sailboat, complete with rudder, just over twenty feet long.

They circled the little craft as it rode lightly over a wave taller than its mast, and Wendy waved up at them, a relieved smile on her wan face. The sky dragon slayer looked exhausted as her eyes followed their descent.

"Natsu, I'm going to drop you off here, okay? Get ready," Lucy said after exchanging a look with Happy.

"What? No! Fuck that!" Natsu snapped angrily, glaring up at the pair as they swooped in low over the boat. He made to get a tighter grip on Lucy, but his hands, rigid with the cold, failed him, and he dropped like a rock when she released him.

The former slayer managed to land in a crouch, though his numb legs betrayed him, preventing him from getting immediately back to his feet as Lucy and Happy circled once to make sure he was okay, and then swept away with the wind at their backs once more.

"Traitors! Get back here!" he shouted when he finally managed to clamber to his feet and rush to the side of the boat, leaning out over the edge, clutching at the sea-slicked ice "Lucy!"

"Natsu, be careful!" Wendy cried, grabbing him by the back of his coat just in time to keep him from toppling overboard as they crested another wave and rushed down the other side.

The man growled unhappily, but backed away from the edge all the same. He was still soaked from his earlier dunking, a state that was maintained by the rain that still fell from the dark skies above. The last thing he needed was to go for another swim.

Upset and hurt by the way he had been ditched on the sidelines, Natsu paced the short length of the ship, ignoring the carefully bland look Gray gave him every time he passed the other man. He flinched and looked around when he felt his connection to Aquarius sever abruptly a moment later. He couldn't tell what had happened, but either the spirit had finally exhausted herself, or the leviathan had managed to put an end to her meddling.

"Son of a bitch!" he snarled, startling both of his companions as he stalked to the prow of their boat and stared out into the storm, squinting against the rain in an attempt to make out the battle being waged in the distance. Fire and lighting flashed across the sky, telling him that Lucy was still holding her own, and that Erza was making good use of her lightning empress armor. Or was that natural lightning? It was almost impossible to tell. No doubt Gajeel and Juvia were backing their friends up admirably, contributing to the fight while he sat here and twiddled his thumbs now that his most useful spirit was out of commission.

"You put a hole in this boat and I'll tie you to the damn mast, Natsu," Gray warned as he watched his friend pull his leg back to give the ice a solid kick in his frustration.

"What's wrong?" Wendy asked in a quieter tone as the man managed to reign in the urge to put his foot through their transport and settled for pacing some more instead.

"Aquarius is down," he answered, shoving his hands deep into his pockets in an attempt to both warm them, _and_ resistpunching something "She's down, and now there's jack shit I can do to help," he repeated with a irritated growl.

He was tired, yes, but he still had magic to burn, and he couldn't very well put it to good use so far from the fight. Still, maybe Lucy had been right to leave him here, what could he do, really? He still had his sword, but without his former strength, and against something as large as the leviathan, he might as well be trying to kill it with a toothpick. Aquarius had been his best bet to help here on the open sea, but now she was gone until she could recover, which he knew would most likely be at least a day.

Feeling caged and annoyed, Natsu tapped his foot impatiently and went over Lucy's keys again.

Taurus? He was strong enough, but he'd be lucky to get a single hit in before he wound up in the water. Loke? Same problem, which went for every key he flipped through. Virgo, Capricorn, Aries, Cancer; all useless. He paused when he came to Scorpio, but quickly discarded it. In this rain, the sand wielding spirit would do little more than get the leviathan muddy. Sagittarius, on the other hand...

The archer spirit was a dead shot, but were his arrows strong enough to pierce the monster's scales? He didn't think so, but on the other hand, if they could manage to blind it, it would give the others an opening to work with, or perhaps even scare the thing away all together.

Spinning on heel, Natsu looked at Gray and said "Get us closer to the fight, I think I've got something that can help."

"Are you crazy?" the ice mage said with a scowl, his dark eyes straying to the distant battle "If we get anywhere near there that stupid thing is going to wreck the boat, and I'm not sure I've got it in me to make another," he admitted reluctantly.

"We don't have to be near the fight to help," Natsu insisted, advancing on his friend "But we've got to do something to turn the tide. They're holding it off, but at this rate Happy, Carla, and Lily are going to get too tired to keep going, and then what?" he demanded, throwing an arm out wide to encompass the merciless sea on all sides.

Gray and Wendy shared a pensive look as they weighed the man's words against the threat of the leviathan. Finally, the ice mage heaved a beleaguered sigh as he hauled on the rudder to change the boat's course.

"If we get killed, I blame you," Gray groused, making Natsu grin briefly as he moved to the prow of the boat in preparation for his attack.

As they drew nearer the battle, the former slayer selected Sagittarius' key, and was about to summon the archer when the next key on the ring caught his eye.

Gemini.

An idea occurred to Natsu then, as he stared at the delicately carved little faces on the bow of the key. A dangerous idea.

"This is as close as I'm going, Natsu, so do whatever it is you're gonna do now," Gray shouted over the noise of the fight while Wendy moved to help him maintain the sails. The girl watched the fight unfold anxiously, large brown eyes straying to Erza and Carla. All six of their friends looked exhausted, even from this distance, and the exceeds moving slower than ever as their companions struggled to fight off the beast, which began to gain the upper hand.

Natsu didn't reply as he stood at the prow of the ship, a key in each hand as he considered his options. As he did so, the water to port surged, and spilled over the side of the boat before reforming itself as an exhausted looking Juvia.

"Gray, what are you doing here? It isn't safe," she said anxiously as she hurried across the narrow deck to the ice mage, staggering as the boat heaved under her feet.

The dark haired man reached out and grabbed her arm with one hand, keeping his other on the rudder "I know, but genius up there figures he's got something that can help," Gray replied as he steadied the woman before raising his voice so Natsu could hear "And if he could do that _any time now_ , that would be _super_ great."

"Natsu?" Wendy said, voice concerned as she brushed the older man's arm with one delicate hand to stir him from his thoughts as Juvia and Gray looked on.

The rose haired mage jerked in surprise at the touch, then grinned down at her as he shoved one of the two keys back into it's case "Don't worry, Wendy, I got this."

"Oh yeah, and _that's_ never prefaced a horrible failure," Gray drawled under his breath as Juvia blinked in confusion.

Wendy smiled, and then stepped back, giving Natsu room as he raised the key above his head and called "Gate of the twins, open! Gemini!"

Power surged down the length of his arm and into the small, golden key to be answered by the toll of a bell. As the light died down, Natsu focused on envisioning the form he wanted the twins to manifest in.

The spirit appeared next to him, flickering strangely as he watched. At first, it appeared as Lucy, just as he had wished, but it's form blurred, and for a moment, he was looking at himself. As though some internal debate were raging within it, Gemini's appearance jumped back and forth between himself and Lucy, paused briefly at a peculiar amalgamation of the two, then finally settled on Lucy.

"You alright, Gemini?" he asked warily as the spirit heaved a sigh, one hand going to it's ample chest as though to steady it's heart.

"We're fine," it said, smiling up at him "Our magic was...confused, but we're okay now."

Natsu nodded "This form...you have Lucy's original magic, right? The magic I have now?"

Gemini nodded "That was part of why we had trouble deciding on a form. Normally we copy the magic and form follows, but now you have Lucy's magic..."

"So you almost took my form," Natsu finished, the proverbial light bulb going on.

"Right, but you asked specifically for this form, so we defaulted to our old copy of Lucy," Gemini explained with a smile "So, what do you need our help with? Aquarius said you were fighting a sea monster or something."

"I need you to do a unison raid with me," Natsu explained as he pointed to the leviathan "We're fighting that thing, but none of our attacks are effective enough to drive it off, not while we're out here in the middle of the damn ocean, anyways. We're having to rely on Happy and the others just to move, but they're getting tired fast in this storm."

Gemini's eyes widened at the request "You want to do the Urano Metria," it guessed.

"Yeah," the former slayer said with a grin as he held out his hand to the spirit wearing his girlfriend's form "Help me out?"

To his surprise, Gemini actually hesitated, looking from his face, to his hand, and back again.

Finally, it asked "Natsu...have you ever done a unison raid before?"

"Not exactly," the man admitted reluctantly, figuring that his battle with Wendy and Gajeel against the king of Edolas didn't exactly count. Combining attacks with someone was one thing, but synchronizing magic to create something new was something else entirely "But I'm sure I can do it," he reassured the spirit with a confident smile "You have Lucy's magic, I have Lucy's magic...it should be easy!"

Gemini gave him a skeptical look, making the man sigh, and forcing him to continue in a more candid tone "Look, you're right, I've never had to do this before, Gemini. My magic...doesn't normally play nice with others. But if I was going to be able to do it with anyone, it would be Lucy," he said sincerely as he tilted his head slightly to catch the spirit's eyes "I trust her, and she trusts me. That's the most important thing in a raid, right?"

The spirit nodded slowly and turned Lucy's wide brown eyes up to meet his as it appeared to consider his words.

"I know you have Lucy's memories when you use her form," Natsu continued after a moment "So I'm asking you to trust me, the way you know _she_ trusts me."

When he offered the spirit his hand a second time, it was gingerly accepted as Gemini smiled up at him and said, a little shyly "She does, you know. Trust you, I mean; more than anyone."

Natsu stared at his girlfriend's doppelganger. his heart fluttering unexpectedly at her words. Any annoyance he had been harboring towards Lucy for leaving him behind crumbled in the face of that confession.

"Good to hear," he said, face flushed as he tried to shrug off the butterflies that unexpectedly took up residence in his stomach "Lets prove her right for doing so, huh?"

Gemini grinned and nodded as they both turned towards the front of the ship and faced the leviathan.

Though he had never actually performed the spell he now planned to undertake, Lucy _had_ taught it to him, just as he had taught her his dragon slayer secret arts. No point in going half measures, they had decided, and now he was more glad of that than ever.

Still, the rose haired mage was taken aback by the unexpected surge of power that erupted between himself and Gemini as he instinctively harmonized his magic with theirs. It thrummed between them like a song that shook the very molecules of the air, creating a magical feedback loop that increased in power with every word of the spell that passed their lips.

"Sound out the heavens, open the heavens," they chanted, eyes slipping shut as they pressed the palms of their right hands together, stance set wide so the rise and fall of the ship wouldn't unbalance them "Stars across the universe, show yourself to me with all your brilliance!"

Light erupted from the ice at their feet, filling the darkness and drawing the eye of everyone around them, including the leviathan.

Together, fingers intertwined, they raised their hands above their heads and cried "Open they savage gate!" as the light of their combined magic flared brighter still, driving back the darkness around them, and piercing the clouds above.

In one fluid movement, spirit and summoner stepped together, shoulders meeting as they extended their joined hands before them "Eighty-eight stars of the heavens, open!" they commanded in one voice, magic reaching a crescendo that lifted them both off their feet as Natsu's eyes flew open, the spell's sigil filling his sight. The darkness around them filled with stars as they plummeted from the heavens above, burning away the storm with their passing.

"Everyone, get out of the way!" Lucy screamed as she realized what was happening. None of them had noticed the ship head their way, or the initial flash of golden light that prefaced her most powerful spell. She did, however, immediately recognize the incredible, hauntingly familiar pressure that heralded the falling of the stars.

Using up the last of their strength, Happy, Lily, and Carla bolted from the air around the leviathan, it's crimson gaze turning skyward as Natsu and Gemini cried "Urano Metria!"

Only Juvia's presence on their little boat saved it from swamping when the attack hit, striking the sea wyvern with the wrath of heaven itself. Erza, Gajeel, and Lucy crashed into a heap on the deck as their exceed companions' wings finally gave out while the leviathan's screams filled the air around them.

When the light finally faded, and the sound of the very air being rent asunder by the heavenly barrage died down, they all turned to see what had become of their foe.

For a moment, the creature lay very still in the waves, then stirred sluggishly and fled beneath the waves. Everyone held their breath longer than they would care to admit later, but when there was no further sign of activity in the water, they finally released it in one great woosh of relief.

"Thank the gods," Wendy breathed as she sagged weakly against the mast.

Lucy got unsteadily to her feet and rushed as well as she could across the icy bottom of the boat, reaching Natsu just in time to catch him, and ease his descent so he was half cradled in her arms. She gave him a smile that was torn between exasperated and proud as she asked "What the hell were you thinking, trying that? What if the spell had backfired?"

"Well I had to do _something_ ," the man in her lap groused, turning his head slightly so his cheek rested against her shoulder. He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them partially to glare up at her and say "That's what you get for leaving me behind."

Lucy snorted and gently stroked the man's hair as she admitted "Well, you showed me, I guess."

"Damn right," Natsu grumbled, exhaustion obvious in his voice and the lines of his face.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of his head "I shouldn't have left you. It's just...Happy could only carry one of us, and I thought I was the more practical choice, all things considered."

"It's alright," the man in her arms replied as he tried to stifle a yawn, then added "Like you said, I showed you," his lips curling into a smug little smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm a terrible tease, lol. Many of you have expressed a desire to see Lucy and Natsu perform a Unison Raid, and instead I give you Natsu and Gemini!Lucy X'D
> 
> I might be wrong about Natsu never doing a unison raid in the anime (well not a proper one anyways), but I honestly couldn't remember him doing it at any point. My sister couldn't either, and she just recently read the manga. So yeah, if it turns out I'm wrong, oh well XD For the sake of this fic (and my sanity) we're going to say he hasn't.
> 
> For those of you who might be interested, I did a NaLu mini comic (as well as another Natsu drawing) which I put up on the official fic tumblr (one-wish-fanfic), so check that out if you like! Also feel free to drop a question either for me, or the characters, in the ask box. It's still open!


	34. Hey Brother

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for your patience with the one day delay posting, guys! Sunday definitely works out a bit better for me with my schedule the way it is, so It probably won't move again any time soon.
> 
> Guess who finally got caught up reading the manga? This author did! XD You guys really weren't kidding when you said the manga had taken a turn that was surprisingly similar to the patch my fic took o_O Like...weirdly similar. Who knows, maybe I have a secret mind-link with Mashima? Maybe if I can concentrate hard enough I can send him subliminal messages to make NaLu canon...
> 
> A girl can dream, can't she?
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy! Please make sure to drop a review if you do! They feed my voracious muse and keep me writing!

"Sting, this really isn't necessary. I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself," Yukino insisted for the umpteenth as she glanced back over her shoulder at the dragon slayer in question.

The Sabertooth master scowled at her in reply, arms folded resolutely over his chest as he replied "There's a bunch of _assassins_ running around looking for those keys of yours. No way I'm letting you out of my sight until those fairy idiots have this sorted out, so stop dropping hints that you want me to go."

"It wasn't precisely a hint, Master, but alright," the celestial spirit mage replied with a chuckle as she went back to examining the produce laid out on the stand before her "Still, a girl is bound to develop an ego, having a famous guild master _and_ the entire Thunder God Tribe accompanying her on her every errand," she added lightly.

Sting flushed, though it was less from embarrassment than irritation at the presence of the notorious Fairy Tail team. Glancing around the bustling marketplace, the white dragon slayer picked each one of them out of the crowd. To all appearances, they seemed to simply be browsing the stalls, but the man knew that they were there to help him keep an eye on Yuki.

It still irked him that the princess had apparently approached Fairy Tail for their assistance in whatever matter involved these damned assassins, and not included Sabertooth. The other guild wasn't the only one with a mage that had been targeted, so shouldn't they be allowed to help as well? Natsu and Lucy's visit almost a week before had left the young guild master with more questions than answers.

"Sting?"

The blonde man glanced down, surprised to see Yukino standing directly before him, brown eyes full of concern "What?" he asked, discomfited by the way his heart fluttered in his chest when she looked at him that way.

"The princess will trust us enough to help her some day," she said, making Sting wonder briefly if she could read his mind "In the mean time, we'll continue working hard to prove just how much the guild has changed from it's old ways," the woman continued with a reassuring smile.

"Right," the dragon slayer agreed, forcing a smile to his face for her sake. Her own widened, and she turned back to her errands, prestigious escort in tow.

As soon as the celestial mage's back was turned, though, Sting's frown returned as his thoughts strayed back to Lucy and Natsu's last visit before they had left on a ship with the rest of their team to...who knew where. All they had been willing to tell him is that they were investigating leads regarding the source of the assassination attempts at the request of the princess.

Their offer of extra manpower for keeping Yukino safe in the meantime had offended the short tempered master at first, causing him to turn them down outright. A combination of coaxing from Yuki and Rogue, along with the strangely grim expression on Natsu's face had eventually served to change his mind, though.

" _I don't know where you get off, marching in here and making me accept Fairy Tail assistance for protecting one of our own," Sting had growled under his breath to Natsu when the flow of conversation had lead Lucy, Yuki, and Rogue a little ways from them._

_Black eyes turned to regard the blonde slayer, and Sting had been struck by their intensity, as though the man had been weighing his next words very carefully indeed. The look robbed him of all ire as he waited for the other man to speak._

_Finally, Natsu had left him with the heartfelt, though ominous, words "Take care of her, Sting."_

" _You! Who do you-" the Sabertooth master had begun, though his sharp rejoinder had died on his lips before he could even fully voice it. Instead, he swallowed hard, and nodded, teeth clenched so tight it hurt._

_Before either man could say more, Lucy had turned to Sting and said "Master has asked Laxus and his team to help you. One or all of them will be around whenever you guys go out, though they won't approach unless something happens."_

After that, Sting had put up one more token resistance, but he had already resigned himself to accepting their help. Something about the way Natsu had said those words, and the way the other man had wrapped one arm protectively around Lucy as they had left wouldn't allow him to argue. It had struck a new sort of fear into his heart, something he was reminded of every time he looked at Yukino now.

As the man thought of her, he glanced around again, and a frisson of terror shot down his spine when he did not immediately spot her. He had only looked away for a _second..._

Sting's heart nearly stopped in that moment, only to stutter to a start once more when he saw her only a few feet away at a fruit cart. Her eyes met his over a pile of apples and she smiled at him, raising one eyebrow in question, no doubt wondering what had him staring so.

He lifted one hand weakly to wave off her unspoken question, and the woman's other eyebrow went up. Before he could take so much as a step towards her, though, a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye drew his attention.

Laxus was barreling towards them at full tilt, making the white dragon slayer's eyes go wide in alarm and look around for what had set the other man off.

It was only then he realized that the shadow along the wall of the building behind Yuki wasn't empty.

"Yuki, get down!" Sting shouted, lunging into motion as Laxus sprinted past him. He felt as though he were moving through molasses, every motion sluggish as the world around him seemed to slow down to a crawl.

Yukino's eyes went wide, and she spun, just as an arm, clad all in dark blue, snaked out and grabbed her.

She screamed.

* * *

A cold wind blew across the surface of the ocean waves, making Natsu, still wrapped in Lucy's arms and half sprawled across her legs, shiver. Frowning worriedly, the woman tightened her grip on him and looked around at their motley crew.

Gray sat at the rear of the boat, hand on the rudder as he guided the ship across the waves. His wet clothes clung to him, but he didn't seem the least bothered by the chill, which didn't surprise her.

Juvia already looked perfectly dry, something Lucy couldn't help but find amusing, though an idea did occur to her when her eyes drifted to the the others, who all looked varying degrees of miserable now that the glow of victory had worn off.

"Juvia, can you dry everyone off?" Lucy asked "Half of us are like to catch a cold or worse if we stay wet."

The bluenette blinked and glanced around at her friends, the source of their discomfort only just then seeming to register.

"Oh! Of course!" she said, then turned towards Gray, who eyed her curiously as the woman waved a hand over him. The water from his clothes and body lifted away all at once, leaving the man's hair shockingly fluffy and standing on end.

Juvia was so surprised by this, that she lost her concentration with a squeak and dropped the water, splashing the ice mage and soaking him all over again.

"Seriously?" he sputtered, wiping water from his face.

"S-sorry!" Juvia exclaimed, biting on her lip to keep from giggling when she began her work again, sending the resulting water over the edge of the boat and back into the ocean.

Seeing the way his friends were staring at him, Gray's hand went self-consciously to his face, and then his head "What?"

"You look like some kind of demonic dandelion," Gajeel snickered as the ice mage grimaced and tried to flatten his hair down with his free hand once more.

"It looks very soft," Erza told Gray in what was no doubt supposed to be a comforting manner.

"Thanks," he grumbled before finally giving up with a huff and turning his attention back to steering the boat. By this point, with the storm gone, the waves had died down, leaving them with a much smoother ride than a few minutes before.

"It's strange, I feel like the sun should have already been down for hours," Wendy remarked absently as she looked to where the sun was only just beginning to dip below the horizon while Juvia went about her task with quick efficiency.

"I know what you mean," Lucy agreed.

Natsu was one of the last to have his clothes dried, and he sagged with relief against Lucy when the last of the water finally left him, only to shiver and curl in on himself.

"Ugh, this ice is _cold,_ " he complained.

"No shit," Gajeel said with a roll of his eyes "It's _ice,_ dumbass."

"Anyone bitching about the ice gets to fucking swim to Telmare," Gray cut in before Natsu could make a retort to the iron dragon slayer.

Suppressing smile, Lucy released her hold on Natsu and gently pushed him out of her lap.

"Hey, wait, come back," he wheedled and tried to insert himself back in her lap.

"Will you give me like, two seconds?" the blonde said with a roll of her eyes as she stripped off her jacket and laid it on the bottom of the boat at the base of the mast. She then seated herself on it, with her back resting against the recycled boom, and gestured for Natsu to join her.

The rose haired man's face lit up at this development and he eagerly moved to join her. He took a minute to decide which way he was going to lay, before finally settling himself between Lucy's legs with his back to her, and his head resting on her ample chest.

Just as she went to wrap her arms around him, though, her boyfriend sat up again and struggled out of his own jacket, then threw it over them like a blanket. Natsu sighed happily to himself as he settled back once more, pausing only to pull the woman's legs in tighter around him to maximize their points of body contact.

"Aw yeah, that's better," he muttered happily to himself as he wiggled a little against her to achieve maximum comfort.

"Oh yeah?" Lucy mused, arching an eyebrow at the man's antics before finally slipping her arms under his jacket to wrap around him "Anything else I can get you now that you've made yourself at home? A hot towel? Some tea maybe?"

"Yeah that'd be awesome, actually," Natsu replied with a teasing grin that made Lucy lift her eyes heavenward in a silent prayer for patience. She pressed a kiss to the top of his head all the same, though, before giving his magic the little tug that would increase her body heat. She was running low after the fight earlier, but it took little power, and the resulting warmth that seeped into Natsu almost immediately eased the shivers that had wracked his frigid body.

The awkward clearing of a throat had the both of them looking up in surprise to see Erza standing over them, now dry, but struggling to suppress shivers of her own.

"I, um..." the requip mage began, a blush creeping across her pale cheeks as she hugged herself in an attempt to ward off the chill that had seeped into her very bones.

Dry they may all be now, but that certainly didn't make them warm. Juvia and Gray were the only ones immune, apparently. Gajeel meanwhile, was fighting manfully to pretend he wasn't freezing as he stood staring out at the sea. Wendy didn't seem quite as bad off, but she still looked tired after all the healing she had been forced to do, and Lucy was pretty sure she saw a tremor run through the girl's narrow shoulders as she watched her.

Heaving a sigh that was tempered by an exasperated laugh, Lucy said "Alright, huddle up, you guys. The more the merrier."

"What? Says who?" Natsu exclaimed, expression dangerously close to a pout as he glared possessively up at her.

"Oh hush, you'll warm up faster with more bodies," she said as a look of relief bloomed across Erza's face. Before the requip mage could join them, though, Lucy said "Wait! Armor off first! I really don't want to get poked."

"Oh, of course," the red head said, and quickly banished her Heart Kreuz armor, replacing it with simple, though warm looking, clothing.

The older woman tugged off her coat and settled in at Lucy's right side to press flush against her, then followed Natsu's example and used her coat as a blanket. Wendy hurriedly joined in on the other side with her own coat. Both women heaved a sigh of relief at the increase in warmth, and Lucy obliged all of them by heating the air around them a little more.

Realizing that they were still shy one person, the blonde glanced back at Gajeel and said "Come on, that means you too, Gajeel. Everybody can tell you're cold, so quit faking and get over here already."

The iron dragon slayer flushed and scowled "I don't have to be! I can use my Iron Dragon Scales and be immune-" he began, only to be cut off by Gray.

"Don't you dare, moron! You want to flip the boat?" the ice mage snapped "Now quit bitching and just go join the damn cuddle pile."

"Oh shut-up, I'll do what I want, snow cone!" Gajeel snarled back. Luckily, though,what he wanted did not involve overturning their precarious craft. He swore under his breath and glanced over at the pile of his friends. Lucy had clamped her hand firmly over Natsu's mouth to muffle his laughing, and Erza had pressed her lips into a thin white line in an attempt to cover a smile. Wendy, on the other hand, already appeared fast asleep.

"I don't know about you, but _I'm_ joining them," Lily remarked from down by his feet before following after Happy and Carla, who were apparently of the same mind.

"Make room for me!" Happy exclaimed brightly, jumping into the pile of bodies, making Natsu grunt when the cat hit him right in the gut.

"Oi, Happy," the former slayer grumbled, but allowed his blue friend to crawl under his coat with minimal resistance.

"Ooh, this is toasty," Happy purred pleasantly as he poked his head back out again, nearly bumping Natsu in the chin.

"Gah! Watch the claws!" the man objected loudly with a wince when the exceed wiggled about to make himself comfortable.

Lucy snorted "Now you know the feeling."

"Yeah well at least I don't have claws."

"No, just _ridiculously_ pointy elbows," she said with a wince as her boyfriend shifted himself and wound up digging said elbow into her hip.

"Oh, sorry."

"Will you quiet down? Wendy is sleeping," Carla hissed over the noise from where she had curled up between Lucy and her petite friend.

"Here, Lily, would you like to sit with me?" Erza invited the black exceed with a smile, lifting the edge of her coat invitingly.

"Don't mind if I do. Thank you, Erza," the cat said with a smile and settled himself in, pointedly ignoring the way Gajeel glared at him.

"Traitor," he grumbled, but strayed closer to the people pile all the same "Where am I even supposed to fit, anyways?" the man asked grumpily and gave Natsu's leg a kick.

"Overboard if you don't watch it," the rose haired mage groused back, pulling his leg out of the way of another hit from Gajeel's steel toed boot.

Lucy pinched Natsu's ear to curb his tongue, then looked up at Gajeel and said "I'll scoot forward and you can squeeze in behind me so you don't get left out at the edge," in an accommodating tone.

Gajeel flushed at the offer, but the woman was already moving while Natsu tried to object.

"he can't sit there! _I'm_ your boyfriend, you should lean against me!"

"Well then move and Gajeel can sit in my lap," Lucy remarked with deliberate blandness, knowing neither man would ever go for it.

The iron dragon slayer made a strangled noise while Natsu said "What? No way!"

"Well then quit making a fuss and scoot," Lucy huffed, patience running out "Gods you get whiny when you're tired!"

"I do not," Natsu grumbled, but finally acceded to his girlfriend's command, ignoring Happy's quiet snickering.

"You really do though," the exceed agreed.

Natsu ignored this, and glared up at Gajeel when the iron dragon slayer still hesitated, saying "Well hurry up, would you? You're letting all the damn heat out!"

The other man's words seemed to finally force the dark haired man into a decision. He sneered down at Natsu in an attempt to mask his own embarrassment as he sidled in behind Lucy, moving carefully so as not to jar the sleeping Wendy. When he had seated himself with his back to the make-shift mast, Lucy squeezed between his legs pushed her back up against his chest.

"Good grief, you're almost as bad as the mast," she remarked as she made herself comfortable before everyone else proceeded to do the same now that the proverbial keystone was in place.

"Who do you think I am, Droy?"

"Well he'd certainly make for a better back rest," Lucy teased, grinning at the slayer from over her shoulder, making him snort in amusement.

Quiet settled over the group with the exception of Gray and Juvia, who held a quiet conversation over the rudder. Lucy could have heard it easily, but she intentionally ignored it as those curled up around her settled in for some shut-eye.

Out of nowhere, Happy giggled, and at Lucy's curious look, he said "I was just thinking we're kinda like a doughnut, with you as the creamy filling, Lucy!"

"Oi, hands off Lucy's creamy filling, it's delicious and I'm not sharing," Natsu said, already half asleep.

He yelped when Lucy, Erza, and Gajeel all smacked him simultaneously, and demanded "Ow! What was that for?!"

"You know what!"

* * *

While her fellow members of the 'Lucy Doughnut' fell into a deep sleep almost immediately, Lucy herself dozed fitfully, plagued by the same nightmare that had driven her from her hammock the night before. It came to her in flashes of fire and blood that would startle her briefly into waking, before dragging her back into it's depths for more.

_With a shaking hand, Lucy gently rolled Natsu onto his back, lifeless gray eyes staring up at her, unseeing, from his bloodied face. Shock froze her tears and allowed her to reach out with the soot darkened fingers of her left hand to gently brush his eyelids closed. Now, as she knelt in the dust of a once great city beside his shattered form, she could almost believe he was only sleeping._

"Lucy."

A familiar voice startled the blonde into the waking world once more, and she looked around blearily until she was able to focus on Gray as he crouched beside Erza.

"Gray," she said, stirring a little beneath the pile of bodies around her as her mind struggled to change gears "Something wrong?" Lucy asked, spotting Juvia at the ship's rudder, steering them confidently over the waves.

A small frown tugged at the ice mage's lips as he replied "You were dreaming. Didn't want you to wake the others."

"Oh, thanks," the former celestial mage said with an apologetic smile as she relaxed back against Gajeel once more. The iron dragon slayer surprised her by looping one arm across her shoulders from behind, making her look up at him curiously. He appeared deeply asleep, though, so she decided not to comment, a fond smile playing across her full lips before turning her attention back to Gray.

"Come to join the party?" she asked and yawned, eyes feeling heavy again already.

"If you don't mind," Gray admitted, looking vaguely awkward as he glanced away from her and out across the open sea.

"Have at it. I know you don't get cold, but I'm sure we're more comfortable than the bottom of the boat," Lucy joked.

"That's what Juvia thought too," Gray mused, humor returning to his features as he settled himself down by Erza and Lily. The pair shifted unconsciously to accommodate him.

When her friend had finally made himself comfortable, Lucy said "Goodnight, Gray," as she drifted off to sleep once more.

"'Night, Lucy."

* * *

The next time Lucy woke, the sky seemed impossibly dark and full of stars in that brief window between moondown and sunrise.

She was sweating and trembling as she struggled to forget the screams from her nightmare, desperately wishing she could get a decent nights sleep without being plagued by horrific visions. She was no stranger to nightmares, not after all she had seen and experienced since joining Fairy Tail...but this...this was new.

A painful tingling from her legs as she stirred told her that Natsu had succeeded in sending her limbs straight to sleep over the course of the night. Eyes narrowing against the dark, she examined her boyfriend with an intensity that would have alarmed him had he been awake to witness it.

Finding comfort in the gentle rise and fall of the man's chest, Lucy gradually relaxed. Absently brushing a few stray locks of rose colored hair from his eyes, she noted how long it was starting to get. It was almost to the point that his bangs were no longer able to stand on end of their own stubborn accord, weighed down as they were by their own length.

Her lips twitched up into a smile before pulling down into a pained grimace when the tingling in her legs intensified uncomfortably.

Slowly, and with great care, Lucy maneuvered her way out of the pile of bodies, nearly toppling when she was forced to put weight on her numb feet. In the process of carefully shifting Natsu as gently as she could, the blonde realized that Gray had been replaced by Juvia in the spot next to Erza. Looking up, she saw that the ice mage was back at the rudder once more, alternating between keeping an eye on the horizon, and watching her game of wizard tetris.

In the end, Erza and Wendy wound up leaning against Gajeel, while Natsu's head wound up in the iron dragon slayer's lap. She knew neither man would be happy about this development if they noticed, but by that point her legs were smarting badly enough that she simply didn't care. She did, however, find herself wishing Reedus were there to paint a portrait of the sight for her to keep and frame.

Stifling a groan as she straightened, Lucy took a moment to stretch before hobbling over to where Gray sat, then plopped down beside him on the make-shift bench he had made for himself.

"You sleep long?" she asked the man while she tried to massage some life back into her legs.

"Long enough," he answered as he turned his dark eyes to her, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"What?" Lucy asked suspiciously, pausing in her work when she saw him looking at her.

He was quiet for a moment before finally asking in an offhanded manner "You always dream so much?"

The blonde blinked at the question, debating for a moment on whether or not to answer, before finally admitting "Not usually, no. It started last night, I guess. I had this awful dream, and now it keeps coming back every time I close my eyes..."

Frowning, Lucy dragged her gaze from her friend's and looked skyward, picking out constellations to distract herself from the pain in her legs, and the fear in her heart that her nightmares conjured.

Brow furrowing at the obvious exhaustion in his friend's voice, Gray asked in a quiet tone "Wanna talk about it?"

Folding her hands in her lap, Lucy twined her fingers around each other fitfully as she considered her answer to the man's thoughtful question. Finally, she said "No. No I don't think I do," she looked at him with a pained smile and continued "I don't remember much anyways."

Gray replied with a noncommittal grunt as he turned his attention to navigating them through a rough patch of water. They sat in companionable silence while he worked, until they had reached calm seas once more.

"Well, talk about _something_ , then, so I don't fall asleep," he told her, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye "If you're gonna sit there taking up space, you might as well make yourself useful."

The command startled an incredulous laugh out of the blonde, and she was forced to clap a hand over her own mouth to keep from waking their friends.

When she had herself under control once more, she lowered it and smiled at Gray as she said "Yeah, alright then."

When the blonde didn't start talking right away, Gray raised an eyebrow at her and asked "Well?"

Lucy swatted his arm and rolled her eyes as she looked around for some subject of discussion. Attention falling to a certain bluenette mage, her eyes lit with inspiration and she asked "So, what do you think of Juvia?"

"W-what?" Gray stammered, so startled by the question that he jerked on the rudder convulsively, and made their little craft veer hard to port.

"Hey, watch it!" Lucy cried, grabbing his hand and pulling it back towards her to right the boat's course.

The ice mage made no comment, but did have the grace to look a little embarrassed by his own outburst "What kind of question is that anyways? I said I wanted you to talk, not an inquisition."

"What, you want me to tell you a story or something?" Lucy asked, raising her eyebrows at the man.

"Yeah, I guess," Gray said with a shrug "You're good at stories."

"Thanks," Lucy said, amused by the lengths the man would go to to avoid talking about their friend "But I don't want to. I want to know what you think about Juvia."

Pointedly refusing to look her way, the man answered unhappily "Well go back to bed then and we can all drown when I fall asleep at the wheel."

"It's a rudder, not a wheel," Lucy corrected with a wicked smile that he found eerily similar to her boyfriend's "Besides, I could always just stay here and pinch you every time you start to drift off," she pointed out.

Gray scowled at her, but the blonde only smiled in return, completely un-phased. Finally, he caved, saying "Ugh, you're horrible. Like the little sister I never wanted."

Lucy threw her head back and laughed again, long golden hair tumbling down her back as it pulled free of her coat's hood.

When she finally calmed again, the woman grinned up at Gray and wiped a few stray tears of mirth from her cheeks and asked "Yeah? Well, how do you think _I_ feel? I've got a compulsive stripper for a big brother."

The ice mage rolled his eyes at her accusation, though couldn't repress the small smile that pulled at his pale lips when she happily claimed him as her family. His initial words had simply tumbled out unchecked, ruffled by her question as he had been, and in their wake, he had been half-afraid that she would balk at the thought of being 'related' to him. That Lucy had accepted him so readily made him unexpectedly...happy.

While the entire guild generally considered itself one big family, there were inevitably some people he was more intimate with than others. Lucy was one of the girls that he felt closest to, with perhaps only Erza beating her out, if only because he and the indomitable red head had grown up together. If Lucy was his little sister, then Erza was the entire team's bossy big sister who would fight hell or high water to protect them all.

The gentle bump of Lucy's shoulder against his pulled Gray from his reverie, and he focused on the blonde beside him once more. She was smiling up at him in an impish fashion that made him feel vaguely uneasy.

"So, come on then, tell your little sister about Juvia, hmm?" Lucy said with a grin. Gray's unexpected confession of familial feelings towards her had driven all the fear and worry inspired by her nightmares from her mind. They had been replaced by an overwhelming warmth and fondness for the man at her side. They'd been through a lot together since she had joined the guild over a year before, almost as much as she and Natsu had. Finally having a name to put to their relationship beyond 'friend' felt...nice.

"Gods you're a pain," Gray groaned, throwing back his head and refusing to look at her. He could practically feel her eyes burning a hole in the side of his head, though, and he knew her well enough to be certain that she wasn't going to let up until he'd given in.

Heaving an exasperated sigh, the ice mage dropped his head and grumbled resentfully as color flared in his cheeks " _Fine._ I think she's great, okay?"

Lucy remained quiet for a minute, clearly expecting him to continue. When he didn't though, she demanded "What, that's it? 'She's great'? What kind of half-assed answer is that? I had a great _sandwich_ before we left Magnolia, Gray. Great isn't a word you use to describe a person! Not by itself, at least."

"Well what do you want me to say then?" the ice mage demanded, struggling not to squirm in his seat under the weight of Lucy's glare.

"Well I don't know! How about you start with _why_ you think she's great!" the blonde exclaimed, exasperated.

"Will you keep your voice down," he hissed at her, eyes darting to where their friends lay sleeping nearby.

Lucy rolled her eyes, but shut her mouth and looked at him expectantly again until, slowly, hesitantly, Gray began to speak once more.

"I guess she's great because...I don't know...she's strong? And reliable too, in her own way," he admitted. Gray paused for a moment as he put a more concerted effort into sorting his complicated thoughts on the water mage before continuing "Most of all, though, I think she's very caring," his brow furrowed as he added "A little too caring, maybe."

"What makes you say that?" Lucy asked curiously as she watched the ice mage mull over her question.

"I dunno," he said with a helpless shrug "Just look at the way she follows me around all the time."

"I know it's a bit much sometimes, but-" Lucy began, but was cut off when Gray shook his head and continued.

"No, it's not how much she does it," he began, though paused and added "granted it gets kind of ...weird sometimes. I turn around and she's just _there_. I have no idea how she does it."

"Neither do I, now you mention it," Lucy admitted with a speculative frown. Juvia really had taken her stalking of Gray to a level that could almost be regarded an artform. If the assassins that had attacked her weeks previous had had the water mage's talents, she would have been dead in her bed without even noticing it happen.

Gray shook himself and said "I just don't get why she lo- _likes_ me enough to literally follow me all over creation," he explained with an almost frantic hand wave in an attempt to mask his near slip.

Realizing that they had finally revealed an underlying issue that she hadn't even realized was there, Lucy asked in a slow, quiet voice "So, wait, you just...don't get why she would like you enough to _want_ to follow you around?"

"Well, yeah," Gray said, glancing at her, embarrassment turned to curiosity in the light of how Lucy was looking at him. It wasn't quite pity in her eyes, but it was something very close.

"Oh, Gray," she sighed as a sad smile spread over her fair features. The former celestial mage pulled her hair around so it fell over her shoulder, and began to braid it absently as she lost herself in thought. That Gray might genuinely not understand how someone could love him as much as Juvia so clearly did was a road bump she certainly hadn't expected. He always seemed so _confident._

Still, considering how hard on himself he had always been over Ul's death and, much later, Ultear's sacrifice, she supposed she really shouldn't have been surprised.

Apparently Juvia wasn't the only one that needed to learn to love herself before being able to do the same for another.

"Where do I even begin?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, guys! This week's chapter title is inspired by Avicii's song 'Hey Brother', which is super great and I highly recommend!
> 
> I figured a bit of a 'cool down' (or more accurately considering the contents, 'warm-up'? XD) chapter was called for after the madness of the last few, haha. Hope you enjoyed! Please remember to drop a comment, they really help me keep writing!


	35. Strangers in a Strange Land

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Had one of those weeks were it wasn't that I didn't want to write...It's just that I didn't want to write this chapter, haha. Well, most of this chapter. The first bit I actually got done pretty early, but I struggled with the rest. One thing that definitely didn't help with writing was all the random fairy tail edits and gifs I've been doing X'D If you're interested, make sure you're either following my main tumblr (joliemariella) or the official tumblr for this fic (one-wish-fanfic) and go check them out!
> 
> Make sure to drop a review! They really do help me keep writing, and we're getting so close to the end now guys. Like, unless I wind up inserting more stuff than I currently have planned, there's definitely less than 10 chapters left!

"Where do I even begin?" Lucy asked absently as she braided her hair, the pale strands glittering between her lithe fingers as they caught the light of the coming dawn.

"You could just not," Gray responded flatly in hopes of shutting down what he knew was bound to be an uncomfortable line of dialogue.

The blonde paused in her work to look up at him, a sour smile twisting her wind chapped lips "Maybe, but apparently I need to," she said, arching a brow at him.

Shifting uncomfortably in his seat, the ice mage gripped the handle of the rudder more tightly in his hand, his knuckles going white at the pressure "Look, Lucy, you don't-"

"Your objections are noted, now shut up and listen for a moment," the former celestial mage said with a sniff as she tied off her braid with a hairband from her pant pocket.

Gray huffed and opened his mouth to say something anyway, but was cut off by the woman at his side.

"You realize that we all love you, right?" Lucy asked, waving a hand to indicate herself and their friends "Everyone in the guild does. I mean, some more than others, and in different ways, but still, it's love," she said, expression and voice both earnest. The blonde watched him closely as she spoke, taking in the way his eyes flickered across their friends' sleeping forms, to her, and then back out across the water.

"Of course," he admitted finally as the silence stretched between them "But we're _family,_ it's different," Gray insisted.

Lucy snorted, and countered "It's _not_ different, though, don't you see?"

When the ice mage leveled a skeptical look at her, she rolled her eyes and said "Apparently not."

The former celestial mage frowned thoughtfully as she considered how to phrase the feelings in heart. How to make him understand how they all felt? That he was _worthy_ of love, not just given it out of obligation.

"You're right, Gray," Lucy said after a time "The guild _is_ a family," the ice mage looked triumphant for a moment, but it was short lived as his friend pressed on "and yet it's not like a normal family, either. In a normal family, a family you're _born_ into, you're bound by ties of blood to those people. No matter how much you may come to hate them over the years, or how they might betray you...in a painful, twisty kind of way, you'll still love them."

Gray looked at the woman sharply when he heard the pained tone of her voice, giving up on his attempted tactic of ignoring her in hopes that she'd stop talking. The blonde was fiddling idly with the end of her braid as she stared out across the waves with a frown on her pale features.

Instinctively, he knew she was speaking of her father.

"Lucy," he began, then stopped, unsure of what to say. He'd lost his parents so very young that, though he hated to admit it, even to himself, he barely remembered what they had looked like anymore. To his shame, his mother's face had long since been replaced by Ul's, and his father had faded into a few key details that had been too firmly impressed in his memories to forget. His waking mind clung to them like the unraveling threads of a tapestry that had been his childhood. Broad shoulders, dark hair, and large, scarred hands that he realized his own were slowly coming to resemble as the years passed, he remembered clear as day. He also remembered sitting on his father's shoulders as they walked through the market and feeling impossibly tall...

Gray wondered how much Lucy remembered of her own mother, knowing that she had lost her at about the same age that he had his own. Had her mother's face faded from her memories over the years as well? Or, lacking the maternal substitute he had found in Ul, had she been better able to hold on to those memories? Then again, Lucy had grown up wealthy, and no doubt been surrounded by portraits of her lost loved one...but a picture was cold comfort to a mourning family.

The loss of her father was more recent than his own, and the fact that he had died during the seven years they had slept on Tenrou Island was heart breaking. That father and daughter had been permanently parted before they could reconcile when both had so obviously wanted to was nothing short of a tragedy.

Unsure of what else to do, Gray reached out, hesitating only briefly before resting one hand on his friend's shoulder. He knew he couldn't ease her sense of loss, just as no one could possibly do the same for him, but knowing that someone you cared about understood went a long way towards helping sometimes.

She offered him a weak smile of gratitude at the gesture, and placed her warm hand over his cold one while she took a moment to collect herself.

When she had, Lucy cleared her throat and said "Anyways, the _point_ is that you can't choose the family that you're born into. But," and she paused here, tilting her head to catch her friend's eye before continuing "you didchoose us, Gray. More importantly in this case, though, we chose _you._ We were all strangers to each other at some point, and we didn't owe each other a thing; certainly not love."

Lucy smiled then, and it wasn't weak this time, but warm as the summer sun and seeming to emanate from every fiber of her being. Gray stared at her as the woman turned her benevolent, loving gaze out across the boat to where their friends still slumbered a few feet away. He watched as her eyes turned briefly fierce, and her magic flared unconsciously, lighting the fading darkness like a star. Somehow, the ice mage knew she was thinking of the lengths she would go to to protect the people she had come to love so dearly.

The ferocity faded, as did the light and aura of magic, seemingly without her having even noticed its arrival. She smiled at him again, more gently this time, before speaking once more "You're a person worth loving, Gray. Don't close someone out just because you can't see the reason why at the moment."

The ice mage lowered his eyes, unable to face the depth of emotion in hers at that moment. Feeling more at sea emotionally than he did physically, Gray was quiet for a long minute before finally asking in a quiet, hesitant voice "What...what _are_ the reasons?"

A chuckle escaped Lucy, prompting the man to look at her once more as she said "You tell me, Gray Fullbuster."

He scowled at her, confused, and a little hurt "Did we have two different conversations just now or something?" he grumbled, pointedly turning his attention back to steering the boat.

"No," Lucy replied, voice quiet, but emphatic as she placed a hand over his where it rested on the rudder "But the whole point here is that you need to come to recognize your own good traits, instead of just focusing on your weaknesses. It won't really help if I just _tell_ you," she said, a small, sympathetic smile tugging at her lips.

Gray relaxed a little at her words as his friend gently withdrew her hand again. He hummed indecisively to himself as he struggled internally against years worth of emotional baggage in an effort to do as Lucy asked.

"You don't have to answer now," the blonde told him as he glanced at her, watching as she fought back a yawn "Just...give it some thought, you know?"

"You should get some more sleep," he said quietly "Don't want to leave that lot to freeze."

Lucy glanced at the pile of their friends, and snorted with amusement at the thought before turning back to Gray "What about you? I can wake one of the others, have them take over for awhile so you can sleep too."

The ice mage shook his head "I'll be fine. Get going," he said, jerking his head towards the others.

She hesitated, but another yawn had her flashing an alarming amount of fang, and the woman was forced to resign herself to risking more nightmares.

"Alright," she acquiesced "Make sure you wake someone if you feel yourself getting too tired, though," Lucy said firmly as she got to her feet and poked him in the shoulder "You won't be doing anyone any favors if you sail us back to Magnolia in your sleep," she teased.

"Yeah, yeah, got it," the man huffed good-humoredly, swatting at her hand absently as she grinned at him, then went back to make herself comfortable amongst their friends once more.

When the quiet returned with her absence, Gray wondered how Lucy thought he could possibly fall asleep when their conversation had left him such a riot of emotions.

* * *

It was the evening of their fifth day out of Magnolia that their little rag-tag group finally made landfall in Telmare.

Lucy, who had been napping, woke to the sound of ice grinding across stone as strong arms lifted her from the bottom of the boat and carried her ashore.

Blinking blearily in an attempt to clear the sleep from her eyes, the blonde yawned and glanced around, asking "Oh thank the gods, we made it?"

"Looks like," Natsu replied as he hiked up the beach a little ways to get them clear of the water's reach before gently placing her on her feet.

Taking a moment to relish the feeling of solid ground under her boots after so many days at sea, Lucy turned and planted a grateful kiss on Natsu's cheek. She smiled up at him, but was surprised when she was met by a thoughtful frown.

"What's wrong?" she asked, immediately worried.

"You're still having trouble with that nightmare, aren't you?" he asked, expression uncharacteristically grim as he watched her, paying no attention to their companions as everyone disembarked and made their way up the beach.

"I...yeah," she admitted with a grimace as she ran her pale fingers through her wind tangled hair. Lucy looked up at him and gave him a reassuring smile "Don't worry so much, they're just dreams," she insisted "I'm _fine_."

Natsu's frown remained stubbornly in place despite her words, though, and he asked "You still don't remember anything about them?"

"No," Lucy said and lowered her eyes. It was a bit of a white lie, and lying to him was something that she hated to do, but it was for Natsu's sake. What good would it do to plague him with knowledge of the horrors that had haunted her sleep the last three days? Every time she woke, she remembered more and more of of the scenes that filled her nightmares.

The former dragon slayer watched his girlfriend closely, a skeptical look on his face as she continued to refuse to meet his eyes. He was distracted from asking further questions, though by Happy's arrival.

"Natsu, Lucy! Gajeel and Lily found a stream! We're going to follow it a little ways inland and camp for the night," the blue exceed said as he landed on Natsu's shoulder.

"Good idea," Lucy said, jumping at the opportunity to turn the tide of conversation away from herself "Camping on this beach would be miserable," she added as an afterthought as she took a good look around.

The shoreline they had landed on was not a friendly one that a person would visit for a swim on a hot summer's day. In fact, though it was summer back in Fiore, here in Telmare, significantly further north as they were, it was still early spring. There was a chill to the air that she hadn't felt for weeks back home.

The beach itself was made of pale, round stones, worn smooth by time and the relentless rise and fall of the tide. It was a fairly narrow strip, and as she looked into the distance, Lucy realized that Gray had landed them in a narrow cove surrounded by high, rocky outcroppings, and backed by a thick, dark, evergreen forest. She took a deep breath, inhaling the sharp scent of pine, decomposing undergrowth, and the clash of salt and fresh water.

"Well, come on, we'd better go help," Natsu said, apparently giving up on his inquisition for the time being. He offered Lucy his hand, which she accepted happily, relieved that he had decided to let the subject drop, and they all walked up the beach to help Gray dismantle their boat.

* * *

By the time dark began to fall in earnest, the group had found a small clearing in the dense forest close to the stream they had followed up from the beach to camp in. Erza had quickly assigned jobs for everyone in an attempt to make their temporary stay as comfortable as possible. Gajeel and Lucy were sent for firewood, while Wendy and Carla went to search for any edible plants they might be able to find. Gray, Juvia, and the other exceeds went back to the stream in hopes of catching some fish. Erza and Natsu, meanwhile, stayed behind in the clearing to cobble together a shelter using spruce-boughs and scavenged pieces of their ship. Gray offered to simply make them an igloo, but after spending one night sleeping on ice, no one but he and Juvia were very keen on repeating the experience.

Lucy and Gajeel headed off into the forest together, leaving Natsu and Erza to squabble over the best way to construct a lean-to behind them.

"If they have anything built at all by the time we get back, it'll be a damn miracle," the iron dragon slayer grumbled aloud as he stooped and grabbed up a dry looking branch from the ground.

Lucy giggled quietly "That or we'll end up with two completely different shelters to choose from for the night," she mused, doing the same.

The pair worked in quiet for a time, footsteps muffled by the thick layer of pine needles that coated the uneven ground. They didn't stray far from one another, wary of their unfamiliar surroundings as they were. Lucy was just considering whether it was worth the effort of using magic to cut up a hefty looking log when she sense someone directly behind her.

"Hey," Gajeel said, just as she jumped and spun in alarm, arms going up to defend herself automatically, gathered branches tumbling to her feet.

The iron dragon slayer's studded brows went up at the display, and Lucy blushed, quickly dropping her arms and bending to pick up her firewood once more "Sorry, you surprised me," she said, frowning up at him in disapproval.

The dark haired man just grunted, and no doubt would have crossed his arms over his chest if it weren't for the fact that they were currently full of branches.

Gajeel was quiet for a moment as he opened his mouth to say something, then hesitated.

"What's up?" Lucy asked, her own brows going up now as she watched him shift his weight from one foot to the other.

"Are you okay?" he asked finally, crimson eyes flicking to her face, and then away again as he spoke.

"What?" the blonde asked, confused "Yeah, you just surprised me, is all-" she began, only to be cut off by Gajeel's dissatisfied huff.

"No," he growled "are you _okay,_ " he asked again, his gaze meeting hers once more, and lingering this time, to drive the point home. Before she could answer, though, he interrupted before she could spin him a white lie like she had Natsu "Lucy, we've all noticed the nightmares, so don't bother denying it. It's not normal, and we all know it. The others won't say anything, what with flame-breath already bloody mother-henning you, but that doesn't mean we're not…worried."

Lucy stared up at the man, wide-eyed with surprise at the admission. He flushed under her regard and tore his eyes from hers again, and staring at a point past her left ear to save himself further embarrassment.

"I-" Lucy began, then swallowed hard at the emotion that unexpectedly welled up within her. Had she really been so obvious? Or were her friends just that observant? Whatever it was, the fact that they were all so concerned for her touched Lucy's heart, and it was all she could do to give Gajeel a watery smile as her eyes threatened tears.

The man blanched at her expression and said "Hell, I didn't mean to make you cry," as he shifted his burden and patted himself down with one hand for something to offer her to wipe her eyes with. Unfortunately, he came up empty handed.

"Don't worry about it," Lucy said hurriedly, dabbing at the corner of her eyes with the sleeve of her coat and waving off his concern "It just...means a lot to me that you guys noticed, I guess."

Gajeel gave her a confused look "Of course we noticed. We were all stuck on a tiny ass boat with you; how could we _not_ notice?"

The blonde laughed, in control of her emotions once more "Well, yeah, but you noticed enough to _say_ something, and I appreciate that," she said with a smile before continuing "Anyways, it's just bad dreams...probably from stress or something. I'm sure they'll stop soon."

As Lucy bit her lower lip, brow furrowing slightly at the brief thought of her nightmares _not,_ stopping, Gajeel watched her closely, then grunted.

"Yeah, well, don't be afraid to ask for help if you need it," he said gruffly as he turned away and grabbed up another branch "Dunno what any of us could do, but maybe talking would help or some psycho-babble shit like that."

Lucy smiled at her friend's broad back as he worked before turning back to her own "Thanks, Gajeel."

The man simply snorted and said "Hurry up, the sun's almost gone now."

"Not scared of a little dark, are you, Gajeel?" the blonde asked teasingly as she gathered up a few more branches.

"Oh shut up and give us some light, will you?" he replied grumpily as they began walking back to camp.

* * *

In the end, Erza and Natsu were finally able to compromise on a build for their lean-to; Gray's group managed to catch more than enough fish, and Wendy and Carla found a few spring vegetables to augment their meal.

After dinner, a half-hearted attempt was made at making a plan for the next day, but tired from so many days at sea as they were, everyone turned in early without coming to a decision. Erza insisted on setting up a watch rotation for the night before they did, though, and Lucy volunteered to go first.

She promised to wake someone when she began to get tired, but never did. Instead, she spent the night staring up at familiar constellations in unfamiliar quadrants of the sky. Watching the fire had proved too reminiscent of her nightmares. The thing she remembered most clearly was fire, heavy, ash choked air, and Natsu's dead, gray eyes.

No, better to watch the stars and allow their clean, white light to sear away the fear that lurked in her heart. More than once, she wished that she could hear their song, but Lucy found the quiet rhythm of her companions breathing and occasional snore an adequate substitute.

As dawn slowly washed away the starlight with its gentle glow, the blonde set about stoking the fire back to life, then went to find Natsu from amongst the pile of bodies in the shelter.

Finding that the man had somehow wound up at the edge of the group, one elbow in Gajeel's face, and his legs thrown over Erza's, Lucy had to fight back a giggle.

"Natsu, wake up," she said quietly as she crouched beside him and gently shook his shoulder. When that did little more than make him grumble, the blonde leaned in and pressed a light kiss to his lips.

His mouth moved automatically against hers, making Lucy smile as she pulled away. The man's eyes fluttered open sleepily and he muttered "Hey, come back" and pulled her in for another kiss, deeper this time. Judging by the way Natsu's hands began to rove, Lucy got the definite impression that he was rapidly moving towards being fully awake.

"If you're doing what I think you're doing, then fucking stop it right now," Gajeel growled, making them both freeze guiltily "And get your goddamn elbow out of my face."

"Good morning to you too," Natsu said with a grin as he released his hold on Lucy and pushed himself upright, making sure to clip the other man in the nose with his offending limb.

The iron dragon slayer swore and pushed himself upright, sending Juvia rolling in the process "Alright, asshole, lets go!"

"Will you both _shut up_ ," came a disgruntled voice from the depths of the lean-to, followed by a hand from the shadows that delivered a sharp smack to the back of both of their heads.

Natsu yelped and rolled away as Erza sat up and stared darkly at the both of them, making Gajeel edge away warily.

"Either one of you will get me some tea, or both of you be very, _very,_ quiet for the rest of the morning, do you understand?" the requip mage demanded in a flat tone that frightened everyone into nodding hurriedly, whether they had said anything yet or not.

* * *

Seeing as there was no tea to be had, the group did, in fact, remain very quiet for the rest of the morning to give Erza a chance to wake up and return to her normal, calm, pleasant self.

In the mean time, they hiked through the forest with little more than the clothes on their backs in the direction of the Telmaran capital, Starholm. At least, they hiked in the direction they _guessed_ Starholm lay in. Gray had done his best, with Lucy's assistance, of navigating by the stars in the direction they had been headed when they set out from Magnolia, but both suspected that they had had been carried some distance south of their goal by the powerful ocean currents.

They did, at least, know that they were heading towards a town of some sort, as after a brief climb up the nearest tall tree, Gajeel and Lucy both were able to catch scent of a sizable human settlement when the wind turned in their favor.

Tempers were getting short by the time the sun was beginning its descent once more, but were relieved as soon as they topped a rise that overlooked a broad valley.

"Oh thank goodness," Lucy said, heaving a sigh as she took in the welcome sight of the vast city that filled the valley from mountain's base, to sea's shore in the distance.

"Hello bed and dinner!" Natsu cheered beside her, doing a brief dance with Happy before grabbing Lucy around the waist and swinging her about in his delight, startling a laugh from the woman.

"I'm happy to finally see civilization," Carla said "But is it Starholm, or some other city?"

"Good question," Gajeel said with a frown before shrugging and saying "Only one way to find out, though."

"True enough," Erza agreed with a small smile up at the man before glancing around at their group thoughtfully "Before we go down, though, I think it would be best if we broke up into groups."

"What? Why?" Juvia asking, giving voice to the startled question on all their minds as they turned to look at the redhead.

"A large group of strangers stumbling in from the woods might attract unwanted attention," Erza pointed out "It's a big city, so we might not...but considering this is a covert mission, it's best not to take any unnecessary risks."

"Good point," Lily agreed, then glanced at Carla and Happy before adding "It would probably be best if the three of us stayed out of sight as well."

"What? But I wanna see the city too!" Happy complained from his perch on Lucy's shoulder.

"No, Lily's right," Carla interrupted "We don't know if any exceeds have migrated to this continent…if they haven't, then we're sure to attract attention," she explained "A group of humans wandering in from the edge of town might go unnoticed, but a bunch of humans accompanied by three flying cats the likes of which no one here has ever seen before…"

"Alright, alright, I get it," Happy huffed, cowed by Carla's logic.

"Sorry, Happy. You can hide with me, if you like," Lucy said with a sympathetic smile as she reached up and stroked his ears.

"Okay," the little exceed agreed "But how? You don't have a bag anymore."

It took a little ingenuity, but in the end, they managed to hide all three exceeds well enough that no one would spot them at a glance.

Happy curled up around Lucy's neck under her hair, and the blonde pulled up the hood of her coat on top of that, effectively blocking him from view. Gajeel proceeded to do the same for Lily, though given the volume of his hair, he hardly needed to use his hood, and Natsu (reluctantly) loaned Erza his scarf so she could secret Carla into the city. The redhead's coat had no hood, but with the scarf, and her long hair, they managed to successfully hide the white exceed from sight. Wendy had tried to insist on carrying her friend, but thanks to her small stature, she was unable to pull off the look without looking decidedly strange.

The necessary members of their party hidden, the group partnered up: Natsu and Lucy, Gajeel and Erza, and Gray with Juvia and her 'little sister' Wendy. They all agreed to let Gajeel and Erza take the lead, while the rest would follow at a distance until they were able to find an inn.

"Juvia hates to interrupt," the water mage said, flushing delicately when all eyes turned to her "But how are we to _pay_ for rooms at the inn? All of Juvia's money was lost with the rest of her things on the ship…"

Gajeel slapped his own forehead as the magnitude of this obvious, previously unconsidered, problem struck not only him, but everyone else as well.

"Shit, she's right," Gray swore, frowning at this unexpected obstacle "Does _anyone_ have any money? I know I sure as hell don't."

Everyone proceeded to pat themselves down in hopes of finding some here-to-fore forgotten funds. Lucy found a few jewel in one pocket of her pants, left there from before they had set out days before, and Gajeel produced a fistful of coins. To everyone's surprise, Happy's rummage through his little satchel produced a fairly large bill that smelled of fish and had a few holes poked in it from the wishing star. He caught Lucy's eye from where he had pushed his way out from among her hair, and suggested, through a subtle tilt of the head, that they might use the star to solve their problem.

The blonde quickly shut down this idea, though, with a head shake of her own. This was a problem, but it would be best to save their ace for a more dire need than mere money.

Everyone else came up with nothing, until an idea occurred to Erza.

"I wonder," she muttered, then, with a flash, requipped into another outfit not at all suited to the cool weather. Still, from within its pockets, a few jewel were produced, encouraging her to go through her vast inventory of clothing and armor until, eventually, they were left with a sizable sum of cash.

"Damn, Erza, what were you stashing all this for?" Natsu asked, eyebrows raised as he struggled not to laugh.

"It's just spare change I forget about, honestly," the redhead replied with a rueful smile as she glanced up from counting their funds.

"Good thing, too," Wendy added with a chuckle.

"Indeed. This should be more than enough, in any case, but we'll have to go find a money changer. I doubt they'll accept Fioren jewel at your average Telmaran inn," Erza said with a grimace.

Natsu tsked at this additional task they would have to complete and said "Such a pain. Why didn't Gramps and the princess send us with any money? We're trying to be all sneaky and shit, but that money is still gonna be traceable back to us if anyone thinks to look."

"They _did,_ " Gajeel answered with a snort "Problem is, it all wound up at the bottom of the damn ocean with everything else."

"You should have thought to grab it when that storm came up!" Natsu huffed.

"How was I supposed to know a goddamn wyvern was gonna show up and sink the damn boat?" the iron dragon slayer snarled as he rounded on Natsu, red eyes flashing.

Before her boyfriend could reply, Lucy stepped between them and said "Hey, it's no one's fault, you guys. Stuff happened, and we all survived. That's what's important here. We'll make do."

Both men shifted restlessly, then backed down, resolutely refusing to look at one another.

"Come on, lets get down there before all the shops start to close," Erza said into the awkward silence that fell over the group "We'll all be the better for some hot food and a good night's sleep in a proper bed."

"Juvia is so excited she could cry," the bluenette admitted, only half-joking as her words succeeded in breaking the tension and drawing a smile to everyone's face.

"I can't wait to wash this salt out of my hair," Wendy agreed as they started down the hill towards the city.

* * *

It took longer than any of them liked, but they eventually found a shopkeeper in the market that would change their money for local tender without asking too many questions.

While Erza and Gajeel negotiated a good rate, the rest of them, still in their assigned groups, browsed the stalls nearby, pretending not to know one another, while still subtly keeping an eye on their friends.

Lucy, with Happy still in her hood and Natsu at her side, lingered by a stall selling a variety of jewelry. The former slayer wasn't much interested, but he feigned it for the sake of the shop keeper not shooing them off to make way for more earnest customers. Their position gave them a good view of Erza and Gajeel, so they were reluctant to move along lest they lose track of their friends in the crowd.

Lucy didn't have to fake an interest in the pieces, in any case. They were all quite lovely, everything seeming to fall under a star theme in one way or another. Perhaps, when this was all over with, if they had any money left over she could come back and get something as a souvenir. How many people could say they had been all the way to the Western continent, after all?

A peculiar scent tickled the woman's nose, making her sniff, and then sneeze into her elbow.

"Gross," Natsu teased, glancing at her with a teasing grin as he picked up a glittering ring that Lucy's subconscious tried to tell her was vaguely familiar in some way.

"Oh shut up," she said with a snort as the scent wafted past again on the breeze, dragging her attention from the ring, to the crowd around them.

Now that she was paying attention to it, she pinned down the frangrance as a mix of cloves and tobacco smoke.

As soon as she had identified it, Lucy decided the scent was unimportant. They were at an outside market, after all, someone was _bound_ to be smoking. Just as she was turning her attention back to the jewelry display, though, a figure caught her eye and drew her gaze.

There was nothing particularly interesting about the man standing across the road, tucked between two stalls and leaning casually against a pile of crates. He was on the short side, tan, with dark, wild hair, and an unshaven face. He wore a wide brimmed hat and a long coat to ward off the cold drizzle that had started to fall an hour before, and he held a cigarette between two fingers down by his side.

What _was_ interesting about him, though, was they way he was looking at Natsu.

Alarmed, Lucy turned to the man at her side and grabbed him by the arm, forcing him to shift position so his back was now to the strange man.

"Put your hood up," she told him under her breath so only he could hear.

"What? Why? It's dry under here," Natsu replied, glancing up at the overhang that was, indeed, keeping the rain off of them as they browsed.

"There's a man staring at you from across the street."

Frowning, the rose haired mage turned to look "Huh? So what?"

"Don't be so obvious!" Lucy hissed, dragging on his arm so he'd turn back around again "And _so_ , he was staring at you like he'd seen a ghost or something," she continued when she had his attention once more.

"Who was it? No one's looking now," he asked, and Lucy glared up at him when she realized he'd gone back to searching the crowd for his stalker. At least he was being more circumspect about it this time, and had pulled his hood up to cover his distinctively colored hair.

"He's standing between the two stalls directly behind me. Shortish, wearing a long dark coat and a hat. Smoking a cigarette."

The former slayer hummed thoughtfully, then said "No one there now."

Now it was Lucy's turn to look, though she did so carefully, slipping her arm through Natsu's and leading them away from the stall so she could get a good look at their surroundings.

Just like her boyfriend had said, though, there was no one there now, nor was the stranger anywhere to be seen. There one second, gone the next. Perhaps he had realized he'd been caught, and run off as soon as her back was turned?

Lucy lifted her nose to the air, but the scent of his clove cigarette was already gone, as though it had never been there at all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol so it's funny. I was originally not going to write the dialogue for Lucy and Gray's discussion, just pan over to someone else watching them have it, but be unable to hear it. Then I kept getting reviews for last chapter from everyone saying how much they were looking forward to it, so I changed my mind and wrote it after all X'D I just couldn't disappoint you guys in the end, lol. Hope you liked it! Make sure to leave a review in any case!


	36. I Wish I Was the Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT – There won't be an update for this story next Sunday, August 30th! Nothing's happening, I'm just taking a week break to give my struggling One Wish muse a breather. It's been going for 36 chapters strong since the beginning of February, so I think it's earned it, haha. ON THE PLUS SIDE you'll still be getting some Fairy Tail/NaLu goodness out of me next week! I've got a couple of AU ideas that I feel like indulging (they friggin' won't leave me alone) so you'll get one or the other in lieu of a new chap of One Wish (maybe even both? Who knows!) so make sure you follow me either here on FF for that, or my main tumblr (joliemariella) so you can catch the new stuff!

"Looks like Erza and Gajeel are done," Natsu said, perking up when he saw their friends pull away from the stand and begin strolling casually down the avenue. When the redhead looped her arm casually through Gajeel's, making the tall man go rigid with with surprise, the former slayer laughed aloud.

"Oi, Luce, you've gotta check this out," he began before turning to look at his girlfriend. When he did, though, she was nowhere to be seen.

"Lucy?" he called again, all hint of humor gone from his angular features as he straightened and scanned the crowd around him for some sign of her. Heart pounding, Natsu was dangerously close to panic when he spotted her across the road investigating the place she had seen his supposed stalker.

Gritting his teeth, he bore down on her, pushing his way through the slowly dispersing crowd of shoppers. Just as he reached her, she turned to look up at him, a frown on her face.

"It's weird, I can pick up a faint trace of that guy's scent, but I can't for the life of me find his trail to or from the market…"

Wrong footed by her interception of what was _supposed_ to have been an angry lecture on his part, Natsu's brain struggled to shift gears to accommodate this new line of dialogue.

"It _is_ raining, and there's a lot of people around," he offered lamely, earning him a grimace from his girlfriend "Look," he began, picking up his train of thought again "Don't just disappear like that, you scared the crap out of me," Natsu groused, crossing his arms over his chest as he scowled at her.

Lucy's eyebrows went straight up, and she laughed at his accusation, unable to manage a reply in her mirth.

"Hey, don't laugh," the man huffed unhappily as his fierce expression failed to cow the blonde before him in any way "Lucy, we're in a strange country that's been sending freaking ninjas after you, you can't just wander off," he insisted.

His words finally seemed to get through to her, and the woman swallowed her amusement for his sake. She was still smiling when she looked up at him again, though and said "I know, I'm sorry. You're right, and I didn't mean to laugh, it's just…"

"Hearing _you_ lecture anyone for being reckless is just a little too much, Natsu," Happy giggled from his place under Lucy's hood and hair.

"Exactly. Thank you, Happy," Lucy said, struggling to suppress a grin as her boyfriend looked torn between annoyed and amused.

Finally, the man heaved a sigh "Fine, be that way. Here I am trying to be serious for a change-"

Lucy went up on tip-toe and pressed a kiss to the rose haired mage's cheek, interrupting him "Hey, I'm not complaining. I _like '_ serious Natsu'," she said as she pulled away and looped her arm through his, pressing herself in close against him as they started walking in the direction their friends had gone.

"Yeah?" Natsu asked, arching one eyebrow at her, a grin tugging at his lips as he slowly returned to his usual state of good humor.

"Mm-hmm," Lucy replied "But I like my normal, 'silly Natsu' more."

"I am _not_ silly," the former slayer tried to insist, making Happy giggle again, and Lucy smile. Knowing when he was beat, Natsu rolled his eyes and grinned as he admitted "Alright, maybe a little."

"A little, he says," Happy muttered so only Lucy could hear.

"Shh, let him dream," she whispered back, still smiling.

* * *

The smoking man's strange reaction to Natsu continued to weigh on Lucy's mind, despite her not having any proof that he had actually been following her boyfriend. If anything, the fact that he'd been looking at Natsu as though he'd seen a ghost made her think that he had happened upon them by chance. It wasn't the face of seeing someone famous that you recognized, as Natsu had suggested during their walk through the town afterwards, or even an expression you made when you unexpectedly bumped into someone you knew. It was something much more profound, though Lucy couldn't quite put her finger on how.

Still, there could be any number of explanations for it. Maybe Natsu had simply reminded the stranger of someone he'd lost…

It was concerning enough that Lucy decided to bring it up to Erza later that evening. She wasn't sure she'd be able to forgive herself if she kept quiet and it wound up coming back to bite her, or more importantly, Natsu, later.

"So he just stared at him?" Erza asked curiously "Did it seem as though he recognized Natsu?"

"Definitely," Lucy confided as she leaned in closer to her friend so she wouldn't have to raise her voice to be heard.

Their group had managed to find an inn easily enough, and had checked in separately, at staggered intervals after they had each claimed a cut of their funds from Erza. Now they were seated at one of the big tables in the bar, waiting on their first real meal in days. Luckily, the seating was communal, strangers packed in elbow to elbow on benches pulled up to a series of long tables, so it didn't look strange that they all wound up sitting near one another.

"Could it simply be that he recognized Natsu from the Grand Magic Games?" the requip mage asked.

"Maybe, but…I don't know, it seemed like _more_ than that," Lucy insisted with a thoughtful frown.

Erza looked equally pensive, but refrained from speaking further as a bar maid arrived bearing plates of food. The meal was served family style, so they all dug in, and continued speaking once they had served themselves.

"Well, keep an eye out is all I can suggest," Erza said eventually "I can't see anything else we can do about it for the time being."

"Yeah," Lucy agreed unhappily, though felt a little relieved that she had at least shared her apprehensions with someone else. Natsu hadn't been overly concerned about it, which she supposed shouldn't have surprised her. People stared at him all the time, after all. Tended to happen when you were as high profile a wizard as he was.

As the meal wore on, Lucy found herself barely able to hold back jaw popping yawns between bites of her dinner. In the background, Natsu and Gajeel fought over the last piece of meat, while Gray made snarky commentary, and Erza lectured them on table manners.

She was moments away from dozing off when Juvia finally managed to make herself heard over all the noise.

"Natsu, perhaps you should take Lucy up to bed before she falls asleep in her dessert."

"Eh?" the former slayer said, glancing up at the water mage, hard won slice of roast beef inches from his open mouth. As her words registered, he glanced to the blonde at his side just in time to see her try, and fail, to muffle another tremendous yawn with one hand.

"I'm fine," Lucy insisted once she was able to speak again "I might see if they have some coffee though," she added as an afterthought and looked around for the bar girl.

Immediately feeling guilty for not having paid more attention, Natsu said "Caffeine's the last thing you need. Don't think I didn't notice that you stayed up all night last night instead of waking anyone else for watch duty."

The others blinked and looked around the table at one another, only just registering that the girl had, in fact, been the only one to stand watch the night before.

"Lucy you should definitely get to bed," Wendy said with a concerned frown "Staying up all night isn't good for you, I wish you had woken one of us."

"Indeed," Erza said, voice firm as she gave the younger woman a look that brooked no argument.

Lucy glanced around the table, opened her mouth to object, but closed it just as quickly. She wanted to tell them that she really wasn't tired, though it was a total lie, she was utterly exhausted. Plus, if she tried that, then she'd have to explain that the real problem was that she didn't _want_ to sleep. Not with the threat of her nightmares hanging over her head every time she dared close her eyes.

She couldn't, though. She knew far too well that they were already worried about her, though there was nothing they could do to help. Best to keep her worries to herself and simply hope that maybe _this_ time she'd be able to sleep undisturbed.

"Yeah, alright," Lucy said with a tired smile as she got to her feet and climbed over the bench she and Natsu had squeezed onto.

Exhaustion making her clumsy and slowing her reflexes, Lucy caught her boot on her seat She would have fallen to the floor were it not for the strong, calloused hand that caught hers and kept her steady until she had worked herself free.

"Thanks," she said, smiling at Natsu as he too got to his feet, apparently set on joining her as he dropped the slice of meat he'd stolen from Gajeel back onto the man's plate. She hadn't even needed to look around to know who's hand it was.

"Well, can't have you eating floor right after filling up on dessert," the former slayer remarked teasingly and ignored her eyeroll as he glanced back at the table and asked "You coming, Happy?"

"I'll be up later," the exceed answered with a wave of his paw, still working his way through a veritable platter of fish.

"You know, sometimes I wonder if you're a cat, or a pig," Carla muttered into her cup of tea.

"Well, that's easy enough," Lily replied with a low chuckle as Happy sputtered his objections "Pigs don't generally eat fish, for one."

"Pigs eat just about anything, really," Gray commented idly as he poked at the remains of his dinner with his fork.

"Well, sure, but it's hardly at the top of the list when a farmer goes to feed his livestock," Erza added.

Deciding to leave this scintillating conversation behind while they still could, Natsu and Lucy said their goodnights and made their way upstairs.

While Lucy muffled another yawn, Natsu fished their room key out of his pant pocket, and checked the number stamped onto it's surface. Finding the door that matched, he unlocked it, and poked his head inside.

The room within was simple, but clean and neat, which was more than he had been holding out hope for. Even better, it looked as though they had their own bathroom attached. Grinning in anticipation, Natsu pushed his way in, his girlfriend following after, closing the door quietly behind them.

Like him, she expressed immediate interest in the bathroom, and peeked in to investigate.

"Thank the stars, we have our own shower," she said, heaving a sigh of relief "Oh! A little washer and dryer too, that's nice. Can finally get some of this god awful salt out of my clothes," the woman muttered quietly to herself.

The blonde turned, then, and looked around the room proper now that the most important subject, the bathroom, had been seen to.

The room was small, but more than enough for the two of them and Happy. After days spent in the tiny, cramped quarters they'd all shared on the ship, even this small amount of space seemed luxurious to both mages. There was a double bed with a simple quilt next to the room's one window, and a little nightstand next to that. A narrow wardrobe stood in the corner, with a small table and chair built into its side in case they had any correspondence that needed taking care of.

"You want to shower first, or me?" Lucy asked as she watched Natsu drag the chair out from under the table and plop down on it so he could remove boots. Stiff with salt and sun as they were, the task took quite a lot more effort than usual.

With a grunt, the man managed to haul one boot off before answering "You go ahead."

"Alright," Lucy said with a tired smile. She paused long enough to drop a kiss on the top of his head before entering the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.

It took some work, but she eventually managed to get her own boots off, followed by the rest of her clothes, which she immediately dumped in the small washer that sat along one wall. She decided to wait on starting it, though, not wanting to potentially interfere with the water pressure.

Blessedly hot water gushed out from the tap when she turned knob for the shower, not even bothering with the one for cold. Before today, the sensation of hot water across her skin just didn't feel the same as it used to since she'd gained Natsu's magic, but after the last few days, it felt like pure heaven.

Lucy was still working at rinsing her tangled hair when the shower curtain was unexpectedly tugged open, making her yelp in surprise, arms reflexively dropping to cover herself as best she could.

Turning to glare at the intruder, she was met with the sight of Natsu, whose eyebrows had both shot up at her reaction, his expression torn between incredulous and amused.

"What the heck was that? Nothing I haven't seen before," the man teased after allowing his eyes to trail appreciatively down her figure.

"Y-you startled me is all," she muttered, blushing as she raised her arms once more so she could continue work on her hair. It was true, too. With her head under the stream of water, she hadn't even heard the door open. Judging by that smug look on his face, though, she had a feeling he'd been trying to be sneaky about it anyways.

"Uh-huh," the man said with a smirk as he twitched the curtain closed once more. He returned a moment later, though, undressed this time, and squeezed into the narrow space with her.

"Hey, I thought we decided I was showering first?" Lucy complained half-heartedly as she stepped back further under the water to make room for the man,

"Changed my mind," Natsu replied cheerfully as he pushed in closer to get under the water as well. He yelped and jumped back, nearly getting tangled in the curtain and falling out altogether as soon as the water hit him.

"Fuck, that's hot!" he said, pressing up against the tile wall of the shower, flinching as he did so "And ugh, this is cold! Lucy!" he whined, torn between two uncomfortable extremes while his girlfriend laughed.

"See, this is what happens when you just barge into someone else's shower time," she chided him as she turned and fiddled with the knobs to adjust the temperature to something Natsu would be able to stand "There, how's that?"

Still pouting, her boyfriend stuck out a hand to test the water, only relaxing once it proved to be a tolerable temperature.

"That's better," he said, clearly relieved as he peeled himself off the shower wall and pushed his way under the water once more.

"H-hey!" Lucy stammered as Natsu grabbed her around the waist and turned her so they were both standing under the shower stream. It was a tight fit, what with the space being narrower than it was long, but at least water was hitting both of them now.

"What?" the former slayer asked with a mischievous grin as his hands slid over the water slicked skin of her back.

"You're getting me dirty again," the blonde replied with a sniff as she turned to grab the shampoo in an attempt to hide the blush that was slowly creeping up the column of her throat to her face. Being pressed up against Natsu in such intimate quarters, combined with the way his calloused hands trailed over her skin and that damnable smile of his, was serving to wake her up a lot more effectively than any cup of coffee would have. It was also reminding her of the fact that they hadn't been truly alone for days.

"You haven't even started on your body yet," Natsu scoffed at her objection as he tilted his head to one side so the water rushed over his hair, plastering it to his scalp.

And she hadn't either, Lucy was forced to admit. She always shampooed and conditioned first, then let the conditioner sit in her hair while she washed the rest of her. Apparently Natsu had caught on to the trend, which really shouldn't have surprised her, considering how often they bathed together these days.

The former slayer dragged one hand down his face to brush the water from his eyes, and grinned at Lucy as he added "But don't worry, I'll get you clean."

"Oh you will, will you?" she asked, trying to act unimpressed by the offer, but failing as she fumbled and dropped the shampoo when Natsu grabbed her hips and gently turned her so her back was to him.

"Well, as long as you don't mind getting a little bit dirty first," he murmured in her ear, one hand coming to rest possessively over the flat of her stomach and pull her in flush against him, while the other trailed down her thigh.

Lucy shivered.

* * *

Later, after a proper shower had (eventually) been had, and laundry had been washed, Natsu lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling, Lucy curled up at his side. The blonde had just finally dropped off after a great deal of tossing and turning on her part. He turned slightly to look at her now, a small smile tugging at his lips as he took in her sleeping figure, clad only in her underwear and his shirt, and wrapped up in the bed quilt. Seeing as they weren't that different in height, the white, long sleeve shirt didn't really offer the woman a lot of extra coverage, but it did so more than hers, which was something.

Feeling his own eyes growing dangerously heavy, Natsu pushed himself into a seated position, taking care not to jostle Lucy and wake her. He turned so that his back was pressed to the wall, and crossed his legs in front of him, then settled in to wait.

A quiet creak from the door had him reaching for his sword, which he had tucked between the bed and the wall. It was half unsheathed before the door to the room opened widely enough for Happy to poke his head through and look around.

The blue exceed blinked in surprise at the sight that met his eyes, but entered as Natsu re-sheathed the blade and put it back where he had grabbed it from. He opened his mouth to speak, but the former slayer held a finger before his lips and pointed at Lucy in a wordless request for quiet.

Happy glanced at their sleeping friend, and then climbed up onto the bed, taking care not to step on her outstretched legs as he made his way over to Natsu.

"What are you doing?" the cat whispered.

"Waiting," Natsu replied, voice equally hushed.

"What for? Me?" Happy hazarded a guess, a small, confused frown on his face.

Lucy twitched suddenly in her sleep, a frown creasing her formerly peaceful features.

"No, that," Natsu said with a frown of his own as he crossed his arms over his bare chest.

Both mages were silent for a long moment as a small, unhappy moan escaped the woman before them, and her hands tightened convulsively into fists.

"Should we wake her?" Happy asked hesitantly, worry in his large eyes as he glanced up at Natsu before turning his attention back to Lucy.

"Not yet, lets see if it stops on its own. I don't want to wake her if we don't have to."

So they waited in silence as the minutes ticked on while their friend dreamed restlessly, eyes flickering back and forth beneath her eyelids. When her breathing became labored, though, and she kicked out reflexively, nearly hitting Happy, Natsu drew the line.

"Lucy, Lucy wake up," he said, voice quiet, but insistent as he rolled to his knees and gently shook her shoulders.

This garnered no response from his girlfriend, though, and Happy yelped as he was nearly hit a second time. He jumped clear off the bed when Lucy thrashed violently, bucking in Natsu's arms as she cried out. The man narrowly missed getting clocked in the face when she lashed out with one arm in attempting to fend off some unseen attacker, and sent the lamp on the bedside table flying. It crashed loudly against the wall, shattering with the force of it.

"Shit, Luce, come on! Wake up!" Natsu said as he tried to pin the girl to the bed. Her superior strength, though, made this nigh impossible, and soon he was spending more time just trying to save himself from injury than actually restraining her. Worry spiked when he realized that she was sobbing in her sleep through all of this, her face pale and terrified, and eyes clamped tightly shut.

"Sorry, but you'll probably thank me when you wake up," Natsu said, expression grim as he raised one hand to give his girlfriend a sharp slap across the face. Before he could even manage it, though, Lucy bucked again, cracking him in the nose with her forehead, and sending him tumbling off of her.

With blood pouring freely down his face, Natsu saw nothing but stars for a moment. When his vision cleared, though, Lucy was clutching her right arm so tightly with her left hand that her nails were beginning to draw blood.

"Natsu!" Happy cried from the floor, wide-eyed and terrified "Are you alright?"

"Fine," he grunted as he rolled and grabbed at Lucy's hand to try and make her stop hurting herself. Her fingertips gouged deep into the flesh of her bicep, and no amount of pulling on his part could stop her.

Giving up on being gentle with his girlfriend, Natsu grabbed Lucy, slipped his arms under hers, then pulled up hard before locking his hands in behind her neck. Her hold on herself broken, the blonde struggled, still weeping as her legs struggled for purchase on the mattress beneath them.

"W-Why isn't she waking up?" Happy whimpered, confused and frightened by the strange, desperate scene playing out between his friends.

"I don't know, this sure as hell isn't normal though- fuck!" the expletive escaped him as Lucy finally found a foothold that allowed her to shove the both of them bodily backwards, slamming Natsu into the bed's headboard and winding him so badly that she nearly broke free.

Before she could, though, the man redoubled his efforts by not only grabbing her under the arms, but locking his legs around hers as well, effectively pinning her body against his. Even with her greater strength, it would take a feat to break free.

"Natsu, it hurts!" Lucy sobbed, and Natsu nearly released her in his surprise.

"Hell, Luce, I'm sorry, you were-" the man began, his hold on his girlfriend slackening slightly.

Happy jumped to the rescue, though, and buried his claws into Natsu's leg, saying "Don't! She's still sleeping!"

"What?" the former slayer demanded, but renewed his hold on Lucy all the same as another agonized sob escaped her.

"It hurts," she said again, louder this time and added "Please stop. Gods, _please stop_ ," her voice rough with pain. The blonde's chest swelled, then, as she took a deep breath, as though to scream.

Happy, acting quickly, jumped up and clapped both his paws over her mouth, muffling her cry of agony as her back arched and her entire body went rigid against Natsu's.

"Happy," Natsu panted once Lucy's silenced scream ended, and her head lolled forward weakly "Go get help. I don't know what the fuck this is but we've got to wake her up."

"Who should I get?" the little exceed asked in a tremulous voice, tears streaming down his cheeks as he hopped off the bed and started for the door.

"I don't know! Just whoever you can find!" Natsu commanded.

Before Happy could even reach the door, though, it crashed open with a bang, revealing Gray, looking tousled and furious, dressed only in his boxers.

"Alright, assholes! I tried to ignore it, but goddammit, try having a thought for the rest of us you pair of rabbits! I-"

The ice mage paused, blinked in utter confusion as he took in the scene before him, then blushed a furious shade of crimson "O-oi, what the hell is-"

"Gray, Lucy's having a nightmare and she won't wake up!" Happy cried from the floor as he latched desperately onto the man's leg.

Gray's brow furrowed as his sleep deprived brain struggled to shift gears from angry neighbor to worried friend. Any concerned, and possibly alarmed, thoughts he'd been about to entertain on his friends' love-life evaporated at the exceed's words.

"Right," he said, then turned and hurried back out while Natsu silently blessed Happy for his quick speaking. The last thing they needed on top of all this was Gray thinking he enjoyed beating Lucy in the bedroom. Granted, they were _both_ covered in their own blood at the moment, so who the hell knew what the ice mage might have thought otherwise...

Natsu didn't get any further than that in his line of thought when the ice mage returned with Juvia in tow.

"G-Gray! What are you doing with Juvia? We really shouldn't-" she began, but stopped when her surroundings abruptly registered "W-w-what is this? Juvia doesn't like it! Why is Lucy-"

"She's having a nightmare and won't wake up," Gray said, tugging on her arm to get her into the room, and then pushed her towards the bed "Douse 'em with water."

"But-" the water mage began, confused and alarmed by the scene she had suddenly been thrown into.

Natsu could already hear other doors opening and he hissed "Just do it!" as Gray quickly shut their own.

With a flick of a wrist, Juvia conjured a wave of water from the air, and a gesture on Gray's part turned it ice cold a fraction of a second before it hit Natsu and Lucy.

The former slayer only just managed to clamp a hand over his girlfriend's mouth as the intense shock made her shriek in alarm, red-rimmed eyes flying open at along last as she looked around the room, confused and afraid.

"W-what-" she began, though her lips were still hindered by Natsu, so it came out as muffled, incoherent mumbling.

"She's awake!" Happy cried in relief. He would have hurried over to them, but reconsidered when he realized they were soaking wet, and so was the bed.

At his friend's words, Natsu finally released his death-grip on Lucy and dropped back against the bed, struggling to hide the way he was shaking as he lifted his hands to his face and left them there for a long moment.

"I don't... I don't understand," Lucy whimpered, confused and shaking herself until Natsu took a deep breath and forced himself upright again.

"It'll be alright," he told her, voice low as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close against his chest.

While Lucy struggled to collect herself, Natsu turned dark eyes up to Gray and said "Go get Wendy."

The ice mage gave a start when he was unexpectedly addressed, but nodded and moved to do so, snagging Juvia by the arm again on the way out.

"Gray?" Natsu called a second time, making his friend pause and look back at him in question "Bring Carla while you're at it," he former slayer added, face grim.

* * *

Shortly after Wendy and Carla politely, but firmly, shooed everyone out of Natsu and Lucy's room (including Natsu himself), they all gathered to wait in the room Erza had claimed for the girls when they had all eventually stumbled upstairs to sleep.

Now she, Juvia, and the exceeds were seated on the bed, and Gajeel had claimed the pile of blankets Erza had apparently been sleeping on the floor with before Gray had woken them all. The ice mage sat on the edge of the room's one chair, elbows on knees as he chewed absently on his thumbnail, anxiety over his friend's well being made worse by her boyfriend's incessant pacing.

He managed to refrain from commenting, though, knowing that if he felt this bad, then Natsu must feel a great deal worse.

Every head in the room turned to the door when it opened and Wendy entered, followed closely by Carla.

"How is she?" Natsu asked, advancing on the young slayer, his face still a gory mess after the bloody nose Lucy had given him earlier. Caught up in his worry as the man had been, he'd completely forgotten it.

Fishing in her pocket, Wendy pulled out a handkerchief and passed it to him with a tired gesture towards his nose when he gave her a confused look. While the older man dabbed at his face with the square of white linen, the sky dragon slayer took the chair Gray willingly gave up and steered her into.

"Lucy should be fine. Her arm wasn't as bad as it looked," the girl answered to the relief of all "I've sedated her so she can get some proper sleep, though. She was...very distraught," Wendy explained hesitantly.

Natsu's brow immediately furrowed when Wendy admitted to sedating his girlfriend. Still, trusting her abilities as he did, he asked the more immediate question instead "Did she remember anything about her nightmare this time? Whatever was going on...it wasn't normal."

"S-she wouldn't wake up," Happy added in a quiet, distraught voice from where he sat in Erza's lap. The requip mage stroked his ears soothingly and Lily gave him a reassuring pat on the arm.

"Lucy wasn't dreaming, that's why you couldn't wake her," Carla said, her words immediately drawing all attention in the room.

Shoving Wendy's now bloody handkerchief into the pocket of his hastily donned pants, Natsu asked "So was I right? Lucy's having visions or something?"

At this, everyone began speaking at once, until Carla waved for quiet "Not...exactly," she admitted, then turned her large, dark eyes up to meet Natsu's as she continued cryptically "Every time Lucy has fallen asleep for the last few days, she's been reliving, in agonizing detail, the future that never happened."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?" Gajeel asked from where he was still sprawled on the floor at their feet. He had, though, rolled onto his side and propped his head up on his hand as he watched the unfolding conversation with a thoughtful frown on his face. He glanced back at Lily to see if he understood what was going on, but, to his surprise, the cat refused to meet his gaze.

Natsu immediately went rigid at Carla's words, eyes going wide, and pupils shrinking to pinpricks as his stomach dropped out from under him.

"That's not possible," he responded, voice so flat and emotionless that everyone but the exceeds and Wendy shot him worried looks.

"And yet, here we are," she responded with a wry twist of her lips. Her eyes continued to hold the former slayer's with unapologetic intensity as she said "Natsu, the things she described matched up to what I saw exactly...she knew things I never told _anyone_ about those visions. And hers are longer, and so much more detailed than mine. She doesn't just have flashes like I did, it's as though she truly _lived_ the experience, rather than watching from the outside."

A small shudder rippled down the length of Carla's spine as memories of her visions surrounding the Grand Magic Games returned, brought to vivid life once more by Lucy's own descriptions.

"Will someone please explain just what we are talking about?" Erza asked in a patient, though firm tone that implied this was not, in fact, a request.

"Juvia is very confused," the water mage admitted with a small frown as she glanced around the room at her companions. She was obviously not the only one that felt this way.

The exceeds and Wendy shared an uneasy look until the sky dragon slayer opened her mouth to speak. Before she could get a word out, though, Natsu held up a hand to stop her, the gesture sharp enough to startle the girl back into silence.

"Later," he said as he continued to stare down at Carla before asking her "So what does this mean? Why is Lucy having visions of something she never actually saw? That future _never happened_ ," he insisted, but a small shadow of doubt flickered in his eyes, and he asked "Right?"

"I don't know," Carla answered honestly, looking tired "By all accounts you're right. What she told me...it hasn't changed from what I originally saw. She's still in the capital, the dragons are still there, we all still-" the exceed stopped there and sighed before pushing on "We're _past_ that point in time, now. It's not even possible."

"Then _why,_ " Natsu demanded, angry now "Why did I just have to hold Lucy down while she cried and _begged me to stop hurting her_?"

True sympathy filled Carla's eyes now as she watched him, not moving even as the distraught man took an aggressive step towards her. Gray intervened before he got any further, though, and placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder.

The man stopped, bit down on his lip, and turned away from his friends, shrugging off Gray's gesture of support. His hands clenched into white-knuckled fists at his side, Natsu appeared to focus the whole of his attention on a small painting that hung by the door. Had things been as normal, the thing likely would have burst into flames under the heat of his gaze.

"Carla?" Erza asked, expression solemn and worried as she glanced from her to Natsu, and back.

The white exceed sighed again, and climbed up into Wendy's lap, wondering, not for the first time, if hiding the existence of Lucy's future self had really been for the best in the long run. Then again, had it not been for this very unusual circumstance, chances were that none of their friends would have ever had to know about their friend's time traveling, and inevitable tragic demise.

Carla told the full, unedited story of what she and the others had done during the Grand Magic Games when they had gone to rescue Lucy from the castle. Her audience listened in silence, and mounting horror, as she unfolded the story before them.

At some point, a tremor had shaken Natsu and he had muttered "I can't-" and left the room, presumably for his own, Happy following immediately after.

In the utter quiet that followed, Juvia sniffled and wiped furtively at her cheeks as tears streamed freely down them.

"I-" the words died on Erza's lips, and the woman was forced to clear her throat and take a deep breath to get her emotions under control once more before trying again "Leaving aside the fact that you all hid this terrible thing from us," she said, frowning at the bowed heads of those who had known the truth "What does all this mean? Surely these visions of Lucy's can't be a coincidence. It's been months since the games..."

"And she only started having nightmares after we left Magnolia," Gray pointed out, dragging his hands tiredly down his face, mind reeling from what he had just learned "Plus they seem to be getting more vivid with every day that passes."

They all looked hopefully at one another for any hint of an answer, but no one seemed capable of supplying one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This week's chapter title from the song 'I Wish I Was the Moon' by Neko Case. A great song I feel really hard sometimes after a long day haha.
> 
> So I am like...90% sure that no one outside of the team that originally went to save Lucy (plus Jellal, Ultear, Melody, Arcadios, and Yuki) ever even knew about future!Lucy. I definitely don't recall them ever talking about her at any point after the fact, in any case. I didn't have time to go back and watch everything that happened after her death before writing this chapter, so forgive me if it turns out I'm wrong. For the sake of this story, we're going to say that was the case.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed! Make sure you leave a review if so! Also, make sure to read the top AN for an important announcement!


	37. Rooftop Antics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of update last week, guys! My week leading up to Labor Day was just absolute murder at work and it left me way too tired to write at night. Make sure you're following the fic's official tumblr (one-wish-fanfic) for updates and notices like that, though! If something ever comes up I'll put up a warning there, or if there's a delay, etc.
> 
> This didn't wind up super long as I'd hope to make up for the lack of update, buuuut I did write another chapter of 'A Game of Dragons', so there's that? 8'D

Lucy woke suddenly from her deep, magically induced slumber to find herself shrouded in twilight.

Feeling uncannily aware for someone who was just waking up, the blonde blinked and forced herself to focus on the ceiling above her. It was unfamiliar at first, until she glanced to the side and saw the door.

"Hotel, right," she rasped into the hushed silence of the room, throat painfully dry. The air felt unpleasantly hot and musty, no doubt thanks to a lack of circulation. The door was firmly shut, and the window to her right was not just closed, but also shrouded by heavy curtains.

In noticing these things, Lucy became aware of the fact that she was alone.

Frowning to herself, the woman pushed herself upright in bed, and found the place beside her cold and empty. She didn't think on this long, though, as her head began pounding almost immediately with the sudden shift in position.

Someone had apparently anticipated this, though, as Lucy found a glass of water, a small note, and two pills on the bedside table. She immediately grabbed the cup and took a long drink as she plucked up the note and read :

_Take these as soon as you wake up. They will help with the headache._

_~W_

It didn't take a genius to realize that 'W' was Wendy, so Lucy immediately did as instructed, then kicked her legs over the edge of the bed, and forced herself to her feet.

Feeling vaguely hung over, but otherwise well rested, the blonde made her way to the bathroom to get ready for the day.

Unwilling to undergo the herculean task of taming her bed head, Lucy braided her hair into a crown to keep it up and out of her face, then got dressed and brushed her teeth before stepping out into the hallway. As she passed the door next to hers, though, she heard familiar voices, and paused. After a moment's hesitation, she opened it and stepped inside.

Happy, Carla, and Lily were all within, seated on the bed and speaking quietly amongst themselves. Happy sat between his two feline counterparts, though Lucy couldn't help but note that he was practically shoulder to shoulder with Carla. The white exceed had one paw on the tomcat's arm, obviously trying to lighten the frown that shadowed his face.

They all looked up sharply when Lucy entered, but immediately relaxed when they realized who it was.

"You guys should really lock the door, just in case housekeeping comes by," she chided them gently with a small smile.

"Lucy!" Happy cried, his frown turning to a smile almost immediately as he bounded off of the bed and leaped into the blonde's arms.

She caught the exceed deftly, and held him close, deciding not to comment on the tears that wet her shirt when he pressed his nose to the hollow at the base of her throat. Lucy placed a kiss on the top of Happy's head as he pulled himself together, and then smiled up at her.

"Are you...are you feeling better, Lucy?" he asked hopefully, eyes wide as he searched hers for any sign of the pain and fear she had experienced the night before when they were unable to wake her.

Lucy's chest tightened, and it took all of her control to keep back the tears she wanted to shed at his obvious concern for her. She had scared him, badly, the night before, she could tell, and she wished he hadn't had to witness her nightmares, or been forced to learn of their contents. Part of her wanted to chew out whoever it was that had told him, but she knew well enough that there was no way they'd have been able to keep him from finding out.

"Yes, much better now that I've had some sleep," she reassured him, and he smiled, the last of his tears disappearing in the wake of her words.

"I'm glad to hear it," Lily said from the bed. He looked as though he were about to say more, but rethought it, and remained silent.

"Thanks," Lucy told the dark exceed with a smile, then glanced at Carla. She didn't make any comment, but after what they had shared the night before, they didn't need to. Strangely, it was in Carla that Lucy had found the most understanding listener, as she, too, had witnessed the horrible things that haunted her nightmares.

Lucy gave her a small nod, then turned her attention to the group at large and asked "So where is everyone? What time is it, for that matter?"

Lily glanced at a small clock on the wall behind Lucy and said "Nearly eleven, now. The others went downstairs a few hours ago."

"I believe the plan was for them to scout out the city today," Carla added, finally speaking up "We decided it would probably be safest if we stayed behind, seeing as we wouldn't be any help hiding under coats anyways," she continued with a displeased sniff.

A small smile tugged at both Happy and Lily's lips, and Lucy got the distinct feeling that this decision had been a point of contention amongst her friends while she slept.

"So they just left me behind?" the blonde asked, tsking in annoyance at this development.

"Not entirely. Gajeel stayed. He hasn't come back to the room yet, though, so I assume he's still downstairs in the bar," Lily said sympathetically.

"Well that's something at least," Lucy grumbled and carefully disentangled Happy from her shirt and jacket before placing him on the bed with the others.

"I'd better go find out what the plan is, then," she remarked, just as her stomach made itself known with a loud rumble. Dinner had been some hours ago now, and she was _starved_.

"Maybe get some food while you're at it," Carla said, amused.

Heading for the door, Lucy said "No need to tell me twice. I'll be back later, you guys be good."

As the door snapped shut behind her, Lily turned to his companions and asked "Just what does she expect us to get up to in here?"

* * *

Once downstairs, Lucy found that Gajeel was, in fact, still in the bar.

The iron dragon slayer had commandeered one of the smaller tables along the wall that boasted proper chairs, rather than benches. He lounged in one, with his propped up on another, as he read what appeared to be one of the local newspapers.

"Morning," the girl said as she pushed his feet of the chair and promptly took it for herself.

Gajeel grunted as his heavy, iron studded boots hit the floor with a thunk, and shot her an annoyed look. That appeared to be all the greeting she would be getting, as he continued reading until one of the barmaids had come, taken Lucy's breakfast order, and then left again.

"Afternoon," he grumbled in reply eventually.

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Lucy said "Nope, still morning. It's only eleven-ten."

Gajeel twitched the top edge of his paper down so she could bear the full brunt of his scowl. Un-phased by his annoyance, Lucy made a face in return.

After a moment, the other slayer's expression softened fractionally and he asked "Sleep okay?"

Relaxing a little with a sigh, Lucy nodded and answered in a low tone "Yeah. No dreams. Remind me to thank Wendy later."

Lucy turned her eyes to the room at large, taking it in as Gajeel watched her closely. Apparently he decided that she was being truthful, as by the time she glanced back at him, his attention was on the paper once more.

"Good," he replied.

Their minimalist conversation ended there for a time, as the barmaid returned with Lucy's breakfast and an extra large cup of coffee. The blonde thanked her with a smile, and tucked into her food with the single-minded determination of the half-starved. Between the pills Wendy had left for her, the food, and the good, strong coffee, Lucy finally felt human again when she was done.

After pushing her empty plate away from her, the blonde sat back in her chair and sipped her coffee. The quiet that settled over their small table was a companionable one, broken only by the occasional rustle from Gajeel's paper as he turned a page, or the distant chatter of the other bar patrons coming in for an early lunch.

Despite the peace of the moment, the little worries and fears the woman had been repressing since waking returned to plague her. Eventually, unable to resist any longer, she asked "How was Natsu this morning?"

The iron dragon slayer lowered his paper again so he could look Lucy in the eyes as she worried her bottom lip with too-sharp teeth.

"Tired," the man answered honestly as he folded the newspaper and set it aside entirely this time "Worried."

A pained expression crossed Lucy's features at his words, and the woman bowed her head, gaze seemingly transfixed by the dregs of her coffee as her pale fingers fiddled with the mug's handle.

"That doesn't make it your fault," Gajeel continued firmly, making Lucy glance up at him in surprise "So quit making that face. It looks stupid, and we've got better things to be doing than sitting around moping."

Taking a deep breath, the blonde nodded and drank the last of her coffee before setting the cup back on the table with a thunk. She could apologize to Natsu for what she'd put him through later. Right now, they had a mission to focus on.

"Right, so what's the plan?" she asked, leaning forward so her elbow rested on the table, a determined expression on her face.

"Erza and Natsu want you to stay in and rest today," Gajeel answered rather anticlimactically.

Lucy's eyes went wide at this news, and then she scowled, full of anger and hurt. She knew her friends meant well, but the fact that she was being side-lined by the other members of her team once more bothered her more than she cared to admit. She hadn't even been _injured_. After finally getting a full night's sleep, she was ready and raring to go, but her friends' opinion that she was not apparently superseded anything she might have to say on the matter.

"But you're not going to."

Gajeel's unexpected words disrupted the woman's frustrated train of thought, making her glance up at him, startled. At her look, the man grinned, flashing fang in a way that Lucy found oddly reassuring. At least the iron dragon slayer wasn't treating her as though she were made of glass. Her surprise swiftly changed to gratitude and she smiled broadly back at him as he continued speaking.

"There's too much riding on this mission for us to mollycoddle you. We ain't got time for that," he explained as he pushed back his chair and got to his feet.

"Right, exactly," Lucy agreed readily as she squared her shoulders and followed suite "So, where are we going?"

Gajeel's grin widened further yet as he answered "We're going god hunting."

* * *

After that, Gajeel surprised Lucy when he unexpectedly made small chat with the barmaid that he 'accidentally' bumped into on their way out. He only just barely rescued her laden tray from crashing to the floor and shattering its contents.

"Sorry about that, two left feet, me," Gajeel told the girl with a self-depreciating grin as he handed back her tray.

"O-oh, it's no problem, sir. The master is always telling me to watch where I'm going," the barmaid stammered while Lucy watched, completely taken aback by the sudden change in her friend's demeanor. 'Self-depreciating' was not a term she'd ever thought to attribute to Gajeel in any way, shape, or form.

"Not at all," Gajeel replied in a generous tone and, with surprising deftness, slipped the girl a bill for her trouble.

She flushed gratefully, giving the man his opening "Say, my cousin and I," here Gajeel clapped a hand on Lucy's shoulder, nearly making her jump "are in town visiting, you got any sights you recommend as needin' seeing? It's our first time in the capital and we're a bit turned about."

Lucy stared up at Gajeel while he kept his attention on the barmaid, and wondered who this man was, and what he had done with her teammate.

"Oh, you simply _must_ go see the temple!" the other girl gushed "A true work of art it is, you'll never see it's like anywhere else in the world!"

"Oh yeah? I've heard of it, it's where the King lives, isn't it?" Gajeel replied, feigning ignorance for the sake of getting more information. It was all news to Lucy, in any case.

The barmaid nodded cheerfully "Oh yes, everyone goes there to worship at least once, no matter how far away in the empire they live," she explained "Those of us what live here, though, we can go any time we like," the girl added proudly.

"Fantastic," Gajeel said with a grin "We'll make it our first stop, then."

After getting directions from the girl, the mages set out towards the temple. Lucy, still feeling dazed by this previously undiscovered talent of Gajeel's, took a moment to register that it was raining out. She pulled her hood up over the crown of her hair, and lengthened her stride to keep up with her partner.

"So," she said.

Gajeel grunted, eyes on the street signs as he looked for one in particular.

"Whaaaat was all that about?" Lucy asked, struggling to suppress a grin "I have never, _ever,_ seen you talk to someone like that. I mean, since when do you 'have two left feet' or get 'a bit turned about'?" she asked incredulously.

The iron dragon slayer glanced down at her and scowled "Just wanted to get some information out of the kid without comin' off suspicious," he grumbled "Playing the tourist is always an easy way to get basic information out of people without them wondering why you're asking so many questions anyone from around here _ought_ to know the answers to."

"Clever," Lucy remarked, amused, but impressed all the same.

"You don't have to act so surprised about it," the other slayer drawled, making Lucy laugh "Shut up," he grumbled and pushed her.

Together, they eventually found their way to the center of the capital thanks to the barmaid's directions. The temple was located in the center of a vast, open town square that was hemmed in by three large, official looking buildings.

Lucy was glad of the rain when they finally laid eyes on the temple itself, as it would no doubt have blinded her had the sun been out in full force.

"Holy shit," Gajeel muttered under his breath after letting out a low whistle of appreciation.

"Yeah," Lucy agreed, equally taken aback.

King Edmund's temple was like nothing she had ever seen before. It was easily a hundred feet tall and constructed completely of a pure, clear crystal. Though, she realized, 'constructed' was entirely the wrong word for it. Despite the fact that it had a door through which people came and went cut into the front, the temple looked like a vast crystal spar that had grown there naturally of it's own accord. There were even smaller outcroppings of crystalline growths around it's base, she noticed on closer examination.

"Think it's made of ice or something?" Gajeel remarked in an aside as they stood there staring.

"Nooo," Lucy said slowly as she looked at the structure for a moment longer "If this is the kind of place the King lives in, though, you can't really blame people for thinking he might be something along the lines of a god, though."

The man beside her scoffed, but before he could comment, he glanced around in surprise.

"C'mere," he said as he grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her off the sidewalk and into an alley.

"What are you-" she began, but quickly shut her mouth when she suddenly smelled what he had sensed first. A minute later, Natsu and Erza walked past the entrance to the alley they had ducked into, clearly on their way to the temple themselves.

When their friends passed them by without noticing their presence, Lucy and Gajeel both heaved a sigh of relief.

"Well, at least you noticed them before we got inside. There would have been no hiding in a transparent building," Lucy commented with a snort of amusement as she relaxed. She felt bad for avoiding Natsu and Erza, but at the same time, she had no desire to get into a fight with them about their over protective tendencies in the middle of a busy street.

"Yeah, mean's we'll have to try something else if we want to find our man, though," Gajeel commented, then glanced up. The buildings they had ducked between were only two stories high here, and he asked "Can you make it?"

Seeing him point upward, Lucy gauged the height, and then nodded.

"Follow me, then, and keep quiet," he instructed, then jumped, ran up the wall, and snagged the gutter with one hand and hauled himself up.

Lucy immediately followed suit, and tried not to pat herself on the back for not slipping on the rain slicked roof tiles when she caught her feet a moment later.

Seeing that she had made it in one piece, Gajeel nodded, then gestured towards the buildings that edged the square "Since those idiots are taking care of the temple," he began, and indeed, Lucy could see their 'idiots' far below, making their way through the crowd "let's check out these other buildings. Anything around a supposed god's house is bound to be important."

"Right," Lucy agreed readily "Should we split up? Divide and conquer?"

"No," Gajeel said immediately "We'll stick together, then one can keep watch while the other scouts."

Lucy nodded her agreement to the plan, and gestured for Gajeel to lead the way. The iron dragon slayer glanced down at the ground to make sure no one was actively watching for them, then took a running start and jumped from their roof to the next. Lucy followed his lead, and after a roof or two, they hit their stride, falling into step with one another so they leaped in unison on their path to one of the largest buildings in the square. Luckily, this meant Lucy was right beside him when a patch of rotten roof tiles came loose from their moorings and sent Gajeel tumbling backwards into open air.

She grabbed him by the forearm and dragged him back onto a more secure patch of roof before his feet even hit the gutter. The man swore quietly as he caught his balance, then, reluctantly, thanked her.

Lucy just flashed him a grin, and they were off again.

A brief investigation of the first building revealed it to be an embassy.

"Dunno why they bother having one of these things when all they do is take over anyways," Gajeel grumbled as he jumped back up onto the roof after a brief descent to one of the balconies to allow him a look in "It's empty, as far as I could tell."

The blonde grimaced "Well, maybe they _used_ to need one…that or they just keep this one for show when negotiating the terms of a country's surrender," she suggested grimly.

Her partner just grunted, and they made their way to the next building via the surrounding rooftops, pausing every so often to be sure no one had noticed them.

As Gajeel pointed out, though, after yet another safety check, it was rare for people in big cities to actually look up, so long as you didn't make noise and draw their attention.

"You mean like when you almost fell off the roof?" Lucy asked with impish innocence, making the man scowl.

The second building was a grand one with vast, lighted windows that overlooked the square. Unlike the first, this one had several people coming and going, though mostly from the back and side entrances, rather than the front. A minute's observation revealed them to be mostly servants, no doubt running errands of some sort.

Lucy sat watch while Gajeel lowered himself over the edge of the roof, extending one iron arm until he was able to peer in through a window. He made a thoughtful noise, then shimmied along to the next window, Lucy trailing after him as the rain began to come down harder. The courtyard and streets around it were mostly empty now, of which she was grateful, though being wet wasn't pleasant no matter how warm one could make oneself.

As he examined a third window, Gajeel hissed and suddenly pulled himself up a little as someone apparently entered the room he had been peeking into. Lucy immediately noticed a problem, though, as the man hung upside down.

"Your hair!" she hissed at him.

He blinked up at her, uncomprehending for a moment until her meaning hit him. With his free hand, Gajeel dragged at his long, dark hair so it no longer hung in front of the window. They both waited breathlessly for a moment until they heard whoever had entered the room leave once more.

The iron dragon slayer hauled himself up after that, and they ducked into the shadow of one of the roof peaks to talk.

"So what is it?" she asked.

"It was all bedrooms here on the upper story," he answered "My guess is a guest house for nobs visiting the King."

Lucy nodded thoughtfully "Nobles _would_ explain all the servants," she observed aloud. While the rest of the city traffic had died down, people were still coming and going from the building they stood on.

"Last one, then," Gajeel said as they both got to their feet once more and turned their attention to the third and final building.

This one stood a little apart from the rest, so much so that Lucy took one look at the distance she had to jump and knew instinctively that she could not make it. So, instead, she climbed on Gajeel's back, and the man sprinted across the roof and pushed off hard by extending his legs into iron beams to give them extra height and speed. He had intended to pole vault initially, but when a heavily armored carriage pulled up below them, he knew they'd simply have to risk the jump.

Lucy only barely managed to bite back a scream when Gajeel's fingers missed the edge of the roof by a hair's breadth, and they plummeted straight down. With her arms latched tightly around his neck, she didn't even have a chance to make a grab herself. Luckily, though, the man managed to catch the window ledge directly below it, stopping their drop so quickly she was nearly pulled from his back.

"Stop choking me!" he rasped.

"Sorry," she said, and quickly adjusted her hold.

"Whatever, just see if you can reach the roof," he told her in a hushed tone as he glanced down to the street below where the armored carriage sat waiting. Luckily, once the driver had hurried inside the building to which they clung, no one else had yet come out.

"Hey, there's something weird about this window," Lucy said, brow furrowing as she paused in her attempt to shimmy up Gajeel's body far enough to reach the overhang of the roof.

"Fuck the window! Come on, woman, I'm hanging by my damn fingertips here!"

The blonde rolled her eyes, but did as she was told, figuring it wouldn't help either of them if he suddenly fell and landed on the carriage below. _That_ would be bound to attract some attention.

With some contorting on her part, and more muffled swearing on Gajeel's as she used him as a ladder, Lucy was able to clamber up onto the roof. Once there, she reached down and grabbed the other slayer by the wrist, and then swung him so he too could get his hands on the edge.

Together, they lay on the tiles for a long moment, catching their breaths, before Gajeel glanced over at her and asked "So what was weird about the window?"

Surprised that he'd actually remembered to ask, Lucy answered "I think it's fake."

"What?" the man said, voice disbelieving as he rolled to the edge of the roof once more and leaned over to get a better look "Looks normal from here."

"You have to get closer, there's something weird with the glass."

Grumbling to himself, the man leaned a bit further, then grunted when he seemed to notice what she had in the brief moment she'd been face to face with the casing.

"Shit, you're right," he said "It's just mirrored glass set against brickwork."

When the man sat up and went to check another window further down the line, Lucy took the initiative to go check some on the other side of the building. In the process, she realized that the building did not continue all the way through. Rather, at it's center was an atrium that opened to the air. She circled the opening, and immediately noticed that not only were there people below, but there were no windows facing inward into the atrium at all.

Deciding to leave this for a moment, the blonde continued on to the outside wall of the building and proceeded to check a few windows, only to find that these, too, were false. It was almost as though the building had originally been constructed with proper openings, only to have them bricked in at a later time while someone still went through the effort to make them look real. When she returned to report her findings, Lucy found Gajeel sprawled on his belly, peering cautiously over the edge of the roof. Concerned as to what might have caught his interest so, the girl lowered herself to her stomach and followed suit.

The abandoned carriage was now a hive of activity. Several guards were grouped around the back, all but mobbing the hooded person that they dragged from its depths and proceeded to clap in both arm and leg irons.

A few official looking men stood at what Lucy now realized was a gate built into the main wall. They watched and spoke amongst themselves for a moment before one of their number hurried away towards the temple as the guards dragged the prisoner into the atrium.

The mages army crawled across the roof and then peered in to the central area, watching the guards give their captive a solid kick to the back of the knees, forcing them to the muddy ground.

"Now who do you suppose that is," Gajeel murmured, frowning intently, crimson eyes narrowing as he watched the scene unfold below them.

"I don't know, but whoever they are, those guards definitely aren't fans," Lucy commented as one of the men finished tying the huddled prisoner to a post in the center of the yard, spat on them, and then followed his companions indoors.

She didn't know what the person's crime was, but the blonde couldn't help but feel a surge of pity for them. Now that they were no longer surrounded, she could tell that they weren't wearing a hood at all, but rather, a sack made to leave them blind to their surroundings as they crouched helplessly in the mud, rain pouring down on them from above.

"We're not going to help them," Gajeel said flatly, startling Lucy into glancing at him. He was watching her closely, a canny look on his angular features.

"What? Of course not, we've no idea who they are or what they might have done," the blonde replied incredulously.

The iron dragon slayer's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded "Good. Just wanted to make sure you were going soft on me," he grumbled as she arched one brow at him.

Before she could make a reply, a distant fanfare attracted both their attention. High, brassy trumpets echoed across the square, and the two mages shared a look before getting into a crouch and sneaking across the roof to get a better look. To their surprise, a procession was leaving the temple, preceded by heralds and surrounded by guards on all sides.

"You don't think that's-" Lucy began.

"Who else?" Gajeel growled.

Both of them fell silent as they watched the God King Edumund's entourage cross the square at a sedate pace. 'Entourage' was really the only word for it. Within the ring of guards was a number of what Lucy could only assume were priests, judging by their robes. Two of them held glittering silver lanterns, while the others carried a lightweight awning curtained by long, translucent fabric to keep the people from laying eyes directly on their king. The man within, or what they could make of him, was dressed in resplendent white and sapphire robes with a veil over his face, and a crown of glittering crystal on his head.

"We could tear through those guards no problem and end this right now," Gajeel muttered unhappily under his breath as he shifted impatiently in place.

"We can't just go around killing people, _or_ kidnapping them," Lucy chastised him "Master said we were supposed to stop him, not harm him. That's exactly the kind of political morass he and the princess _don't_ want."

The iron dragon slayer huffed, but said no more on the matter, knowing she was right, even if he didn't like it. Lucy was just relieved that she was with Gajeel in that moment, and not Natsu. Her boyfriend would have been much harder to talk down.

They watched as the procession headed directly for them, led by the man that had darted off towards the temple when the prisoner had first been pulled from the carriage.

"Now who would be important enough to merit a visit from a god?"

"Someone that we should maybe reconsider our stance on not rescuing," Lucy observed quietly with a frown.

Gajeel didn't answer, as the king had finally arrived, and to their surprise, waved aside his entourage in favor of entering the atrium alone. Scurrying back across the roof yet again to follow his progress, they watched as he dismissed the man who had been sent to fetch him, leaving the king completely alone with his prisoner.

"So," Edmund said, voice carrying easily to their ears despite his quiet tone. The king stood very still for a long moment, seeming frozen in place and at a loss for words until, finally, a tremor ran the length of his frame, spurring him into motion.

The man lunged and planted a hard kick to the prisoner's ribs, making them cry out in pain as they were sent rolling, only to be brought up short by the chains that bound them to the post in the center of the yard. As they struggled to get to their feet, the king advanced once more, tearing the veiled crown from his head and tossing it aside with a clatter before grabbing them by the shirt and dragging them upright.

"So," the king repeated "You managed to escape my assassins, and still you come. What could you possibly hope to achieve in doing that, I wonder?"

A weak laugh emanated from beneath the hood, and Edmund released his hold on the prisoner, who tumbled back into the mud and landed in a seated position as their shoulders shook with bitter mirth. Edmund's face was a mask of fury as he reached out and dragged the hood off at long last and threw it aside.

Johnathan Hawkes' bruised and battered face smiled grimly up at his older brother as he said "Well, _someone_ has to stop you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gasp.
> 
> Remember to drop a review if you enjoyed! They really do help me keep writing, and goodness knows I need all the help I can get right now!


	38. On the Nature of Fear

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, I'm so sorry this is so late guys. I'm just going to go ahead and put out a blanket statement that updates might be a little erratic for the next few weeks. Work has been really demanding lately, which has been making writing difficult, PLUS my husband is (finally!) coming home in a couple of weeks, so there's that too. I'll still be aiming to update once a week, just please be patient if I am unable to, and don't send me messages asking me when I will be updating. Messages like that totally kill my drive to write, and besides, I will definitely be posting as soon as I'm done with a chapter.

"Natsu?" Erza asked as she attempted to get her companion's attention for a third time.

The former dragon slayer grunted distractedly in response. He was standing with his back pressed to the wall of a nondescript building in an attempt to keep out of the worst of the rain. The overhang he had taken refuge under, though, was narrow, so his boots were still getting wet. Staring off into the middle distance with one hand resting on the hilt of his sword, Natsu seemed oblivious of this fact.

The requip mage stepped up next to him, her shoulder brushing his as she too sought shelter from the rain. Erza tugged off the knit-cap she'd donned to keep herself dry, and wrung it out, wishing she had something more water proof in her inventory that wasn't a helmet. Her only warm, nondescript jacket did not include a hood, though, so she'd simply have to make do.

"I got directions to the temple; apparently it's at the city center," the redhead commented to her friend as she pulled the hat back on and made it sure it covered her ears. It had been raining off and on all morning, but there was still a chill in the air that hinted at the possibility of snow "Apparently people don't just worship the king there, it's where he lives too."

This time Erza didn't even get a grunt in reply, and she knew she had lost him again. Rolling her eyes heavenward in exasperation, the woman shifted her weight and hooked her leg behind Natsu's knees, and pushed.

The man toppled with a yelp, throwing his hands out to keep him from going face-first into a puddle.

"What the hell, Erza?" Natsu demanded as he pushed himself quickly to his feet and turned to glare at the woman, then down at the front of his coat. It, his hands, and the knees of his pants were now splattered with mud.

"Welcome back," Erza replied pleasantly, un-phased by the younger mage's irritation "Now, as I was saying, I got directions to the temple, so I think we should go check that out next," she continued as she pushed away from the wall and started walking.

Still grumbling, Natsu dragged his hood down further around his face and glanced around, only just then seeming to register where they were. Then, something else occurred to him.

"Hey, where's Wendy?" he asked with a frown as he paused and searched for a familiar head of blue hair in the crowd.

Erza stopped and looked back at him quizzically before letting out a sigh and saying "Natsu, Wendy left over an hour ago."

"What?" Natsu asked, startled as he glanced back at her.

"I sent her down towards the wharf to check on what sorts of boats have been coming and going the last few days."

The former slayer frowned at this news. He had traveled widely enough by this point in his life to have noticed that the parts of a city around a wharf tended to be the roughest neighborhoods. Sailors came and went constantly, rowdy bunches of of even rowdier men looking for a good time after so long spent at sea. This being the case, the wealthy tended to live as far from these areas as possible, leaving only the very poor and the homeless behind.

"Why didn't you ask me to go?" Natsu demanded unhappily "I'd have done it no problem. A little girl like her is gonna stick out like a sore thumb-" he began, only to be interrupted.

"I _did_ ask you to go, Natsu," Erza cut in sharply, though her expression softened almost immediately at the bewildered look the young man gave her in reply.

To say that he had been out of it all morning was an understatement. Natsu had been ready to go physically when she'd knocked on his door that morning, but it had been clear from the start that his head was still back in the room with Lucy. He'd looked uncharacteristically tired and grim all day, making the redhead wonder if he'd gotten more than a few hours sleep.

"Wendy can take care of herself, Natsu. She's come a long way from that little girl we met a year ago" she said with a soft smile as she placed both her hands on his shoulders and gave him a gentle shake "The one I'm worried about here is _you_."

Natsu tugged out of Erza's grip and said "I'm fine," then dragged one hand down his face and gave himself a shake. When he looked at her again, he was grinning "So, temple, right?"

"Natsu," Erza said "If you want to go back to the inn and check on Lucy, I'll understand. I can go investigate the temple and then meet you back there. I already told Wendy to rendezvous with us there when she's done."

The man shook his head sharply "No, I'll stay."

"Then I really need you to pay attention," Erza said, voice firm, but not unkind as she met his eyes with hers to press the point home "I need your head in the game, not dwelling on Lucy."

His friend's gentle chastisement made Natsu wince, but he nodded "Yeah, I know," he said, then added, mostly to himself "Luce will be alright..."

"You're right, Lucy will be just fine," Erza agreed with a reassuring smile, which Natsu returned in kind before they both started walking again.

Truth was, Natsu had gotten very little sleep after he'd left the girls' room and returned to his and Lucy's. Wendy's spell had already taken effect by then, sending his girlfriend into a deep, dreamless sleep. So deep, in fact, that at first glance she looked dead.

Though he knew that couldn't possibly be true, it didn't stop Natsu's heart from leaping into his throat, or keep him from running to the bedside and dropping to his knees as breathless panic gave him tunnel vision.

She'd been so very _still._ Still as death. Her hand in his had been warm and soft, though, and her pulse beat strongly beneath his shaking fingertips when he'd pressed them to her throat.

Sitting back on his heels, the man had forced himself to take a breath to calm down, knowing he was being irrational. Just because they had been talking about the tragic death of Lucy's future self didn't mean that this Lucy, _his_ Lucy, was anything but sleeping peacefully.

After that, he had crawled into bed, and wrapped himself around her. One arm slipped under her pillow and hooked over her chest so his hand rested on her shoulder, and the other went around her waist as he buried his face in her hair and pressed a kiss to the nape of her neck. Happy entered shortly after, but made no comment on this sleeping arrangement as Natsu focused on taking long, slow breaths in time with Lucy's own in hopes of lulling himself to sleep.

Anything to keep himself from dwelling on the nightmare images he kept imagining had filled her dreams.

He had fallen asleep eventually, but it had been a light, restless slumber from which he had woken with a start every time Lucy so much as twitched in his arms. By the time morning rolled around and Erza had summoned him, Natsu felt as though he'd have been better off if he hadn't slept at all.

No wonder Lucy hadn't woken anyone for watch duty the night before.

"This change you and Lucy have gone through," Erza began, startling Natsu from his thoughts once more "I think it's been good for you, Natsu."

"What? How?" he asked skeptically, mouth twisting sourly at the thought. Sure, some good things had happened since he and Lucy had switched magic (their new relationship status, most importantly), but it wasn't as though he'd changed at all...had he?

The requip mage smiled at him and said "Well, for one, you actually have to think before you act now," before the man could make a defensive comment, she pushed on "And you worry about your teammates more. It's...nice."

"You think I didn't care before or something?" Natsu exclaimed, clearly taking offense. He loved his guild family, how could she, of all people, possibly claim otherwise?

"That's not what I mean," Erza reassured him quickly, lifting a hand in a placating gesture.

"Then what _do_ you mean?" her companion groused, glaring at her from under the fur-lined hood of his borrowed coat.

She opened her mouth to answer, then closed it again as she gave the subject further thought to save Natsu any further dismay due to her careless words.

"You've always _cared_ Natsu, anyone with eyes can see that plainly," she began "But before you switched magic with Lucy, I believe you had trouble wrapping your mind around the idea that not everyone is quite as durable as you are, or as quick to fight, and why," Erza mused thoughtfully as they walked "I think having Lucy's magic has given you the ability to empathize with others a little better, is all."

Natsu looked at Erza skeptically, but gave the idea some thought.

"So," he began slowly "This worrying...for Lucy and her crazy dreams, for Wendy going off on her own...this is how you guys feel about me all the time?"

Erza laughed and clapped him on the shoulder "Try twenty-four-seven, Natsu."

The former slayer stared at her, then down at his hands, and then back at Erza again before finally saying "Holy shit. That is _terrible._ "

Erza laughed again before saying "You get used to it. It's one of the ways you know you really care about someone. You just can't let it rule you, in the end, or allow it to make you try to control others. Even if you _do_ think you're doing it for their own good."

Natsu mulled this over in silence as they kept walking, and Erza was evidently content to allow him time to digest this new information.

It wasn't as though he'd never worried about people before. _Of course_ he had. He was human, and they were his family, it was only natural. It just seemed like it took much more dire circumstances to elicit the same reaction. After Lucy's nightmares last night he probably would have been concerned, but Wendy? Petite or not, the girl was still a dragon slayer. Even stuck in a strange country as they were, he didn't doubt her ability to take care of herself once he took a moment to think about it objectively.

Even knowing this, though, he felt worried anyways, and _that_ was new. Once upon a time he wouldn't have batted an eye at sending the youngest member of their team off into a crime ridden part of town by herself because she was a dragon slayer, and could take care of herself. The fact that, statistically speaking, a fourteen year old girl was much more likely to be attacked in a rough neighborhood than a grown man kept gnawing at the back of his mind. Wendy was strong, _really strong_ , but it only took a moment's distraction to sneak up behind a person and knock them out...

Good gods, was _this_ how Lucy felt every time he rushed into a fight? No wonder she cried at him so much once the dust had settled and he had managed to scrape through in one piece yet again.

Now that he was actively considering the matter, the source of all this worry finally settled in. It was like Erza said, perhaps he had never fully understood just how fragile the people he loved really were. He had Lucy's magic now, and if he felt _this_ vulnerable using power that belonged to one of the strongest people he knew...well, maybe he'd never quite given his friends enough credit for the bravery it took them to fight at his side.

Especially people like Lucy and Wendy. They were strong, yes, but neither of them enjoyed fighting, or relished pitting their strength and skill against an opponent the way Gray, Gajeel, and Erza did. And yet, they were always there for him and the others, fighting just as hard to protect everything they loved with everyone else.

Natsu took a deep breath, and forced hands that had unconsciously tightened into fists to relax before shoving them back in his pockets. This shift in his perception of the world was hard to wrap his mind around, but what Erza said was true; he couldn't allow it to rule him. Gildarts may have taught him the meaning of fear back on Tenrou Island, but losing his magic was teaching him of it's myriad forms.

When the pair turned onto one of the city's main thoroughfares from a side street, they paused and stared at what lay before them., all conversation between them forgotten.

The shining temple of Starholm was hard to look at, even in the muted light afforded by a rainy day. If anything, the water that clung to it's shining peaks and walls only made it glow all the brighter.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Natsu demanded after a moment spent in silence. He wasn't normally the sort to put a lot of thought into a place's architecture, but even _he_ felt that the temple was a here-to-fore unknown level of gaudy "What sort of stupid-"

Erza clapped a hand over his mouth, ending the former slayer's tirade before he could get properly started. As it was, they were already getting looks from passersby.

"Natsu," the redhead said quietly for his ears alone "Do I really need to tell you to _not_ trash talk people's religious monuments?"

The man growled quietly, then huffed against her hand as he raised his own in surrender. Only then did Erza release him and start walking again.

"Good. Now we're going to go in there and have a look around, so keep your mouth shut and your eyes open, and do what everyone else does."

"Yeah yeah," the man grumbled as he followed after her, shoving his hands deeper yet into his pockets and tried his hardest not to glare up at the temple as it loomed over them. For some reason, just looking at it set his teeth on edge.

The pair joined a crowd of people gathered at the entrance waiting for their turn to enter. Natsu turned his attention from the temple itself, then, and began looking at the people themselves. Most of them just seemed like...normal people going about a task that they did every day. Others, however, looked star-struck, as though this were a moment they had been waiting for their entire lives. These people spoke to one another in excited whispers as they craned this way and that to see how far they were from the entrance.

Natsu glanced at Erza and saw that she was making the same observation. He went to comment, but the slightest shake of her head silenced him once more.

"Later," she said quietly as they passed beneath one of the vast arches and finally entered the temple proper.

He wasn't sure what he had been expecting on the interior of such a peculiar building, but it certainly hadn't been what he found. In retrospect, though, he wasn't sure why. If you'd already gone through the trouble of building a temple of crystal, why _not_ make the interior of the same? Might as well go all out at that point, even if the results _were_ disorienting.

It wasn't easily apparent if the entire building had been grown with a hollow center and vaulted ceilings that rivaled those of Kardia Cathedral, or if it had once been solid and then hollowed out by a particularly industrious (or mad) mason at a later date, but the results were beautiful either way.

The ceilings, walls, and floor were all the same pure crystal, all sharp angles seemingly made with the intent of refracting light in the most dizzying way possible. Even the raised dais and few pieces of furniture were made of crystal, looking as though they had grown straight from the floor. There was a broad table in the center of the dais, which Natsu assumed was an altar of some sort, and long, narrow shelves along the walls, which supported a multitude of candles. They glittered brightly and gave the crystal a golden hue wherever their light touched, though the rest of the building had an almost silvery sheen, no doubt thanks to the cloudy sky above.

Natsu was forced to tear his eyes from his surroundings when he nearly stumbled over Erza in front of him. All around them, people were kneeling on the brilliant floor, heads bowed in prayer or pressed to the ground in supplication. He followed the redhead's example and joined her in kneeling with the others. Rather than offering up a prayer, though, the man took the opportunity to further study their surroundings.

While the auditorium was huge, Natsu could tell that it did not take up the entirety of the main crystal tower. No doubt there were other rooms attached, but with all the sharp edges and strangely refracted light, it was impossible to tell where any doors other than the main ones behind them might be. He rather had the feeling that he'd have to run his hands along to the wall to even find one.

Curious, the former slayer glanced down at the cool floor beneath his muddy knees and noted that it was just as bright as the rest of the building. Surely, if it had been built directly on the earth, it wouldn't be so bright? No doubt that meant that the tower extended some ways below street level.

Erza tapped his leg with a finger to get his attention, making him look up. The redhead nodded meaningfully towards the dais, so he turned his gaze in the same direction, though he wasn't quite sure what he was meant to be looking at. It took a moment's careful study, but when he saw it, his eyes went wide.

On a recessed shelf built into the wall behind the cathedral's altar, sat two wishing stars.

Natsu went rigid, and without thinking, he made to move, only to be stopped by Erza's hand on his arm. She shook her head again, and at the mutinous look on his face, silently mouthed _'Look closer.'_

Still feeling as though he might jump right out of his skin, Natsu turned his attention back to the stars. They were the same shape and size as the one he and Lucy had found, with the same dangerously sharp edges and dagger-like points. However, after a moment's further study, he noticed the difference that Erza had already seen.

They were completely dark.

Oh they still glittered in the light of the candles that surrounded them, but unlike he and Lucy's star, these held no inner glow that hinted at the power it held. There was nothing left, the wishes had all been granted.

Erza released her grip on Natsu's arm when she felt him relax as he realized that the stars were empty, and therefore worthless to them. They sat there for a while longer, until they felt they had seen all it was possible to see without being allowed to get up and investigate things more closely (the rather stern looking guards stationed at intervals around the sanctuary put an end to that idea). Just as they got to their feet to leave, though, a sudden stir among those surrounding them, followed by the brassy cry of a herald's trumpet, stopped them in their tracks.

All around them, people dropped to their knees and pressed their foreheads to the floor. Natsu hesitated until Erza dragged him down into a similar position. The sound seemed to emanate from somewhere behind the alter, but by the time Natsu was able to subtly turn his head to look from under the cowl of his hood, the procession was already making its way down the center aisle.

The sound of quiet prayers filled the air of the cathedral while the pair of mages watched the God King of Telmare stride past. They barely caught a glimpse of him, though, thanks to the canopy carried by his attendants that shrouded him from sight.

Natsu had to fight hard to keep from leaping up to attack Edmund in that moment. It would be so easy, and solve so many problems…

He didn't, though. Instead, the former slayer grit his teeth against a snarl and lowered his eyes to help resist the temptation. Watching the man that he had no doubt had sent assassins after Lucy was more than he could stand to do. So he kneeled there, staring at his white knuckled fists as fine tremors of rage that other worshipers no doubt took for awe shook his frame.

Quiet fell again as the trumpets died away and the procession left the temple proper. He and Erza leaped immediately to their feet and made for the door, shoving through the crowd at a merciless pace. They were brought up short by several guards at the entrance, though, who were apparently quite keen to keep a mob of worshipers from chasing after their living deity.

"Out of the way," Natsu snarled. He took a sharp step back when one of the guards leveled a sword at his throat, though, nearly bumping into Erza.

"All civilians are to stay in place until we say otherwise," the guard said flatly, clearly unimpressed by Natsu's bared teeth.

"You-" the former slayer began, his hand automatically going for the hilt of his own sword where it rested at his hip.

Erza stopped him mid-gesture, though, and smiled winningly at the frowning guard as she said "Yes, of course. Forgive my little brother, he was just so excited to have the honor of seeing the King."

Natsu glowered at the woman, but she only dragged him back from the guards before shooting him a quelling look.

"What are you going to do, fight your way out, Natsu? Don't be absurd, we can't afford that kind of attention right now."

"I _know_ ," the man spat furiously, fuming silently as their quarry got away.

A few minute later, the guards released everyone and the crowd dispersed. Erza and Natsu were two of the first out the door, but it was already too late. The king and his entourage were nowhere to be seen.

The requip mage sighed, and Natsu cursed as he realized that with Wendy down at the wharf, they had lost the ability to track him down now that Edmund was out of sight.

* * *

Much like Natsu, Wendy had, by this time, traveled widely enough to know that the docks of port towns tended to be the rough neighborhoods. Such being the case, she had been surprised when Erza had asked her to venture into such a place alone.

It had only taken a glance at Natsu's distracted countenance to see why, though.

"Now, if you run into any trouble, just run, do not engage," the older woman had warned the sky dragon slayer.

Though she had tried to hide her annoyance, Wendy couldn't prevent her lips from pulling into a frown as she said with more bitterness than she cared to admit "I _can_ take care of myself, Erza."

"I know," the requip mage had told the girl, her sincere tone making the bluenette glance up at her in surprise "I don't doubt that for a moment," Erza continued as she placed a hand on Wendy's shoulder and squeezed it gently "but we're here undercover, and we can't afford the attention the sudden appearance of a dragon slayer in the capital would attract."

Wendy had relaxed then, put at ease when she realized that Erza was not, in fact, babying her.

"Right, incognito, I've got this!" she'd said. Erza had given her shoulder one final squeeze, and then sent her on her way.

And now she was walking towards the sea, the street sloping gradually downwards through neighborhoods that were less and less grand the further she went. To her distinct surprise, though, by the time she had reached the docks Wendy had yet to come across the sort of abject poverty she was accustomed to seeing in other seaside cities.

Oh the houses were not fine here by any stretch of the imagination, but they were clean, and well kept, with everything in good working order. The people that came and went on the streets were much the same. There was no finery about them, but they seemed happy to go about their business.

She didn't even see any beggars.

If Wendy hadn't found herself at the pier a moment later, the sound of the lapping waves filling her ears, and the scent of brine in her nose, she would have thought she had taken a wrong turn somewhere and wound up in the wrong part of town.

The petite bluenette frowned thoughtfully to herself for a moment as she stared out at the multitude of ships moored in the harbor for a long minute before turning to glance back at the city behind her.

From here, Starholm was vast and sprawling as it filled the bowl formed by the surrounding mountains and lapped at the foothills. In the distant city center, she could see a tall, glittering spire she assumed was the temple Erza had intended to investigate.

Even in the rain, it was beautiful.

It wasn't an unusual capital layout, but it did have it's eccentricities. It was very clean for such a large and populous city, for one thing. There was no trash littering the streets, and they had passed more than one well maintained public park. Not a single beggar in sight, and the poor district wasn't where one would normally find it...

Wendy shook herself and turned her attention back to the task at hand. Erza wanted her to see what kind of ships were coming and going, though why, she had not specified.

She briefly considered asking one of the many people she saw walking up and down the piers, but they all seemed very busy, and unlikely to stop and answer the questions of a small, nosy girl.

At a loss for what else to do, the sky dragon slayer decided to keep walking on the off chance that she might overhear something of interest, or see someone that might actually give her an answer.

A few minutes later, as she neared the mid point of the docks, Wendy saw a small, squat building with the city crest painted in bold, blue paint on the door, and made a bee-line for it. When she reached it, she saw a small sign over the sliding window next to the door that said 'Harbormaster'. A man stood at the open window, an unhappy expression on his haggard, bearded face as he rummaged through a stack of paperwork.

Gathering her courage, Wendy stepped up to the window and said "Um, excuse me?"

Glancing up in surprise, the old man blinked when he did not immediately see someone at the window. When he looked down and saw her, his brow furrowed "What? What do you want? I'm very busy, I've no time for nosy brats."

"I'm sorry, I'll be quick," Wendy said as she stared up at him with wide brown eyes that apparently put the man off of whatever tirade he'd been about to unleash long enough for her to continue "Do you have a list of ship arrivals and departures for the last few days?"

"What? What does a little girl like you want with a thing like that?" he asked, face puzzled, and then annoyed "Begone, I've more important things to do than entertain you!"

He was just about to slam his window shut, when Wendy reached out to stop him, crying "Wait!"

Her hand on the sill was enough to stop the man for the moment, which was lucky for her fingers, and bought her a scant few seconds to come up with an excuse.

Goodness, what _was_ she supposed to say that would convince him to give her that sort of information? What possible need could a girl her age have for a ship list that wouldn't immediately make the man suspicious?

"I-um," she said, flustered as he glared at her, before a light went on in her head "It's my father, sir!"

"Do I know 'im?" the harbormaster asked with a frown.

"I don't know, it's just," here, Wendy willed her eyes to tear up, and blessed her lucky stars when they cooperated on command. Who knew being a former crybaby would come in handy some day?

"It's his ship, he hasn't come home yet and my mother sent me to see if his ship had come returned or had been lost..."

Wendy sniffled and wiped furiously at her eyes, as though annoyed at herself for crying before turning her teary gaze up to the old man, who now looked distinctly uncomfortable at her emotional display.

"Sometimes...sometimes he doesn't come home for days, you see. Mama gets so worried and-"

"Yeah, here, look, just-just take it," the old man said, hurriedly shoving a list through the window at her so quickly she had to fumble to catch the slip of paper before it was snatched away by a stray breeze.

Just before he snapped the window shut in her face, the man paused, and said "Best hope he's already ashore in any case. There'll be no ships coming or going from the port for the next week by order of the king."

Before Wendy could even open her mouth to reply, the harbormaster shut the window and closed the blinds.

"Well, I never," she muttered to herself as she wiped the alligator tears from her eyes and walked back the way she had come.

Looking at the neatly printed list she had been given, Wendy saw that there was, indeed, a note at the top detailing that not only was the port closed for the next week, but had already _been_ closed for the last few days.

Perhaps the leviathan had done them a favor after all.

* * *

"I'm gonna fucking _kill him,_ " Natsu snarled.

"You'll do no such thing," Erza said, tone calm, though her voice was oddly tight as she seated herself on the edge of the bed and turned her stern gaze to Lily, who sat beside her "Now, _what_ precisely did Gajeel say that he and Lucy were going to go do?"

The black exceed looked distinctly uncomfortable under the weight of the requip mage's disapproval, and Happy was occupied fluttering this way and that after Natsu as the man paced irritably around the room, leaving only Carla fit to answer.

"He didn't," the white exceed said with a shrug "Just that they were going out to have a look around and would be back later."

"I can't believe that moron! Gods-dammned bolts-for-brains rust bucket-" Natsu bellowed furiously as he tugged fruitlessly at his hair.

Erza grabbed up a pillow and threw it at the man, temporarily muffling his outrage "I can see Gajeel getting restless and going out on his own, but I'm surprised that he went so far as to take Lucy with him," she remarked quietly with a frown.

"To be fair, I don't think she would have let him leave without her regardless," Lily said in hopes of defending his partner from their friends' wrath.

Natsu tossed aside the pillow that had hit him full in the face and opened his mouth to shout again, when Happy said "She seemed a lot better. I think she just would have gone crazy sitting here all day and would have gone out anyways. Isn't it better that they went together?"

The former slayer rounded on his partner angrily, but felt his temper die out at the hopeful look in the exceed's eyes. Suddenly feeling tired, Natsu dragged a hand down his face before asking quietly "...she really seemed better?"

Happy nodded emphatically and smiled "Lots!" he said, then paused and added "Although...she was pretty annoyed with you guys for leaving her behind."

Natsu winced, but decided he could handle his girlfriend's wrath if it meant she was really feeling better "Fair enough," he said "I'd be pissed in her place too," he continued before turning to Erza and asking "So what now?"

The redhead gave him a rueful smile and said "We wait."

Natsu groaned and dropped face first onto the bed where he thrashed ineffectually for a moment before saying "I _hate_ waiting."

Happy chuckled as he landed beside him and gave his friend a commiserating pat on the head.

* * *

Natsu must have fallen asleep at some point, as he woke with a start some time later to find that it was dark outside the window, and it was raining harder than ever.

Looking around the room blearily, the man blinked when he registered that Wendy had arrived at some point, and was seated by Erza on the other side of the room, holding a quiet discussion. They must have pulled a chair in from one of the other rooms to accommodate both of them as they leaned against the writing table, a plate of sandwiches between them. Carla sat in Wendy's lap with a cup of tea, while Lily finished off a sandwich as he perched on Erza's knee. Happy was sprawled on the desk, seemingly contemplating the prospect of another sandwich himself.

Stomach growling, Natsu pushed himself upright and winced as his hip gave a pang, and the man realized he had fallen asleep on his sword.

"Finally awake?" Erza asked with some amusement as she glanced up and saw him moving at last.

Natsu grunted as he took a moment to get his bearings, then rolled off the bed and crossed the room towards them.

"Wanna sandwich?" Happy asked brightly as he waved one at his friend.

The man grunted again and took the offered food. He scarfed it down in a moment, then took a second and finished it off just as quickly.

"Have you _heard_ of chewing?" Carla drawled as Wendy muffled a laugh and Erza shook her head.

"Hungry," Natsu grumbled as he reached for a third sandwich. He was halfway through it when the door to their room opened with a bang, making them all jump, and Natsu choke on his mouthful.

Erza had a sword in hand before they even saw the intruder, but she banished it just as quickly when she realized that it was Gray, followed by Juvia, that had made such a startling entrance.

"Gray! What's going on?" the redhead demanded as she shut the door sharply behind them, and Happy pounded Natsu on the back to help his food go down.

"You trying to kill someone, you ass?" he demanded when his airway was clear.

"We have a problem," the ice mage responded flatly, clearly in no mood to get into a spat with Natsu, which brought the former slayer up short.

"A guest as well," Juvia added as she hurried over to the window and pushed it open.

Before any of them could ask the water mage what she was doing, she was leaning halfway out the window, reaching for something unseen in the dark.

There was the sound of a scuffle outside, as well as some muffled swearing as she, with Gray's help, hauled a body in through the window.

The limp, battered figure nearly slipped from their hands and onto the floor as they pulled it through.

"Careful!"

The familiar voice immediately took Natsu's attention from the body and back to the window just in time to see his girlfriend scramble through, followed by Gajeel.

"Lucy! The hell is going on?" he demanded as he hurried to her side and gave her his hand when she nearly slipped in the quickly accumulating water pouring in from outside.

"Well-" she began, smiling but seemingly at a loss as she gripped his hand tightly and righted herself.

Without thinking, Natsu dragged her in and hugged her so tightly she squeaked "Why'd you leave? You should have stayed here and rested," he insisted and pressed a kiss to her temple.

Scowling now, Lucy pushed just far enough back that she could glare at him "Oh don't start with that, you! We will be having a _talk_ about you just deciding what I'm going to be doing without even bothering to ask how I feel on the matter," she said, narrowing her eyes ominously.

Before Natsu could argue, Gajeel interrupted irritably "Will you two save your goddamn lovers quarrel for later, we've kind of got more important shit to be talking about right now."

"Yes, like why it is you appear to have just dragged an unconscious prince in through the window," Erza said in a tone that was ominously bland "One might wonder where where you found him."

Eyes wide with surprise, Natsu looked at the person his girlfriend and Gajeel had brought back with them, and realized that it was, indeed, Johnathan Hawkes.

When he turned his baffled gaze on the woman in his arms, she gave him a weak smile and said "Er, can we keep him?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Make sure to drop a review if you enjoyed! They're like, the only thing keeping me going writing-wise right now.
> 
> Natsu's sort of introspection on the nature of his fear for others was probably one of the harder scenes I've had to write so far. Finding the right words to describe how his outlook had changed since the beginning of the fic was pretty hard.


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